Seeing Stars
by Tatsurou-san
Summary: When Ranma gets fed up with everything in Nerima and decides to head off somewhere else on his own, he discovers that the rest of the world is a LOT different than he expected. A simple attempt to help people gets him bound up in more than he bargained for, as he discovers that there's more to the world - and himself - than he ever would have imagined.
1. Chapter 1

Ranma sighed to himself as he leaned back in his seat on the bullet train, his pack with all his belongings on the seat next to him. As much as he'd tried to make things work in Nerima and deal with everything that happened there, he'd finally reached a breaking point. He wasn't entirely sure what it was that finally pushed him over the edge, but in the middle of the night he'd grabbed his pack and headed for the nearest train station, catching the next train out to anywhere. He wasn't even sure where he was going, as long as it was as far from Nerima as he could get. He'd actually caught a quick nap as he waited for the train to leave. He was rather surprised now to find that no one else was in the same train car as he was, but it was a relief to have silence for a while. It would be good to get away from the weirdness for a while.

As he thought that, the train pulled to a halt in the station. A voice chimed over the speakers. "Welcome to Hosu District, Musutafu. Please have all identification ready as you disembark, have a nice day."

As the doors swung open, Ranma frowned. He didn't actually have any identification papers or anything of the sort, as his travels with Genma had never involved anything of the sort since they rarely used any form of transportation. Still, it wouldn't be the first time he'd stepped around something like that. Slinging his pack onto his back, he wrapped his ki around himself in the Umisenken, vanishing from sight. With that done, he calmly walked out of the train and the station, being careful not to bump into anything as he went. Once he was out, he let the technique drop and moved to mingle with the crowd.

He frowned as he noticed something odd. Quite a few people looked...different. They had odd shaped faces, or unusually shaped limbs...or an unusual number of limbs. _Is there a convention in town or something?_ he wondered as he glanced around. _Or...I don't know what day it is. Is it Halloween? Maybe some local festival?_ Shrugging it off, he kept walking, doing his best to be unobtrusive.

He tried not to think too hard about what was around him as he moved on, however. The last thing he needed was to stumble across a brand new weirdness...especially with the way his sixth sense was telling him that the odd anatomy of those around him wasn't entirely cosmetic. He did his best to close his mind to it, ignoring the ki flows around him and focusing on finding someplace he could get a bite to eat. He quickly made his way to a less crowded area of the city...only to be distracted by a loud scream.

Turning towards the source of the scream, he saw a massive creature smashing up a storefront. It was some kind of restaurant, and the creature looked to be a cross between a komodo dragon and an octopus, standing on its hind legs and swinging several tentacles ending in claws about to tear the place apart even as it grabbed cash and valuables that it stuffed into a sack.

_Okay, monsters don't normally do petty theft...I think,_ Ranma thought to himself. _Then again, the last time I saw something like that, Taro was after me to get Happossai to change his name._ He noticed that most everyone was keeping their distance, and he could feel several strong, focused ki signatures closing in from the distance. He started to move away to get out of the carnage...only to hear the scream again, this time coming from a little girl the beast was holding in one of its claws, another holding a knife to her throat.

Before Ranma had fully thought his way through what he was doing, he'd blurred through the crowd, tossing his bag at the creature's face as he moved in. Flipping through its shifting limbs, he struck the numbness pressure point on the wrist of the knife claw, causing the knife to drop from the suddenly nerveless fingers. A second strike caused the limb holding the girl to go slack, dropping her. Ranma caught her, kicked away from the beast, and set her down at a distance. "I think you need to cool off!" he snapped as he rounded on the beast.

"You some sort of new hero?" the beast snapped out, its voice grating as it inhaled something. Feeling the flow of energy, Ranma rolled to the side as it spat some sort of sludge at him that dissolved the ground he was standing on.

"None of that now!" Ranma joked as he flipped through the limbs again, striking the point where the energy for that had focused, pushing his ki in to cut it off. "Don't you know it's rude to spit in public?" He flipped around the limb that swung at him, striking a paralysis point to lock it up.

The beast tried to strike back, but his limbs wouldn't obey him, and the paralyzed one interfered with the movement of his others. "What kind of hero are you?" it demanded as it sucked in air, only to choke as nothing came out.

"Good question," Ranma observed as he managed to get onto its back. "Why don't you sleep on it?" With that said, he brought his hands together to strike the sleeper point, sending the beast into lala land. As it fell, he leapt back lightly, snatching his bag before it was crushed beneath the beast.

Noticing that most of those around him seemed stunned rather than pleased, he decided it was best to get a move on. The last thing he wanted was to get in trouble over this. He turned to leave, only to hesitate as he felt something hit him...but do nothing.

"Quite the efficient takedown," a dry voice said as someone landed lightly behind him. Turning, he saw a man somewhat taller than him with stringy black hair, pale skin, and penetrating red eyes, dressed all in black save for a mess of grey strips bundled around his neck. He stared at Ranma over the strips, and Ranma could feel his eyes like black holes trying to take something from him. "Certainly makes my job easier, but I don't recognize you. Which Hero Association are you with?"

Ranma blinked in confusion as he stepped back. "Hero...what? What are you talking about?" He shifted into a fighting stance, not liking the way the guy was looking at him.

The man raised an eyebrow and was silent for a time, then spoke again. "Do you know who I am?" he pressed.

"Not a clue," Ranma replied immediately. "And whatever you're trying to do to me with your eyes, stop it! It's not affecting me, but it feels really weird."

The other eyebrow raised, and the black holes behind his eyes seemed to close. "So you could feel that? Interesting. What's your Quirk, kid?"

"What the heck are you talking about?" Ranma demanded as he moved back slowly. "I was just trying to help!"

"There are laws about that, kid," the man continued as he moved forward. "Where have you been living, Nerima?"

"What of it?" Ranma countered angrily.

The hostility from the man seemed to fade. "Ah, that explains it," he allowed. He shifted out of his aggressive stance. "What's your name, kid?"

"...Ranma Saotome," Ranma responded. "Who are you?"

"Shota Aizawa," the man replied in a friendly tone. "Though I also go by Eraserhead. I'm a Licensed Hero, which makes it my job to deal with situations like this." He gestured as the cloths around his neck snaked out and wrapped up the creature Ranma had knocked out. "How'd you take him down, anyway?"

"Pressure point strikes," Ranma answered carefully, a little bit less aggressive now he realized this was law enforcement of some sort. He tried to avoid pissing off the law if he could. "Numbed his limbs to get the girl away from him, paralyzed another to throw him off balance, and a sleeper point to knock him out."

"How'd you find the pressure points?" Aizawa pressed firmly. "He doesn't have a baseline anatomy."

"They're still there, though," Ranma indicated. "It's not like they don't exist. They're right there, see?" He gestured to the creature.

Aizawa glanced over, then back at Ranma. "Look, Saotome...you aren't in trouble for trying to help, but I need you to come with me while we sort this all out. You didn't know what you were getting into, so I'll vouch for you and make sure nothing bad happens, but you need to clear it up before things get worse, okay?"

Ranma hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted to just go along with someone like this, but as he saw others who were in similarly odd outfits approaching with similarly disciplined ki, he knew running and hiding wouldn't get him far for long. Then again...

As his stomach growled loudly, Aizawa's eyes seemed to smile. "We'll stop for lunch along the way. My treat, as thanks for keeping the girl safe before we got here."

"Lead the way," Ranma replied eagerly. He wasn't going to say no to a free lunch.


	2. Chapter 2

Aizawa stared at Ranma with a bit more shock than he had while the kid was fighting the Villain he'd captured. All he could think as he witnessed the new carnage was, _Glad I picked an All-You-Can-Eat place._ Based on his experience with other Heroes whose Quirks somehow amplified their physical attributes rather than giving some sort of energy projection, he'd assumed Ranma would have a large appetite...but the last time he'd seen dietary devastation like this was when All Might entered an American eating contest as a publicity stunt. If not for how fast the hero in question burned through calories, he would have been a _size_ 'Plus Ultra' by the end of that day. _Just where does this kid put it all?_ Aizawa wondered as he stared at the massive pile of plates, the only reason they hadn't buried the table - and why Ranma was able to eat so fast - was that their waiter had a Speed Quirk.

Anticipating that they'd be there a while, he'd asked a police officer and an expert Quirk Analyzer to meet them at the restaurant so he could clear up the situation without Ranma having a chance to split...or slip into a food coma. Glancing briefly away from Ranma, he saw them coming. "Officer Tsukauchi," he greeted as they sat down. "EMT. Glad you could come."

"I understand there's something of a unique situation here?" the police officer asked as he sat down next to Eraserhead. The policeman was dressed in a brown trenchcoat, white gloves, and a brown hat that hid nearly all identifying features. All that could really be seen was pale skin and dark eyes.

"I hope it's more than this kid's appetite," the other man spoke up as he sat down at the outside of the booth. He was dressed in blue scrubs, white gloves, a blue hair net, a face mask, and odd looking goggles, leaving none of his own features visible.

Pro-Hero EMT Quirk: Bio-Scan By touching a person he can analyze their biological makeup at the cellular level. This is especially useful in plumbing the true nature of a Quirk, or identifying damage in battle from unknown sources.

"It may be much more than that," Aizawa explained calmly. "However, I think we should start at the beginning. Saotome, do you think you can stop eating long enough to answer some questions?"

Ranma paused. "...can I keep eating afterwards?"

"Sure," Aizawa allowed.

Ranma put his plate and chopsticks down. "Okay, what do you want to ask?"

"First, some introductions," Aizawa began. "This is Officer Naomasa Tsukauchi, here to investigate the legal aspect of the situation."

"A pleasure to meet you," the officer offered, tipping his hat.

"And this is EMT, here to investigate the biological aspect," AIzawa continued.

"Investigate?" EMT asked curiously. "How...intriguing." His goggles sparked oddly.

"Uhh..." Ranma began nervously, scooting away slightly.

"We'll get into that," Aizawa explained. He then turned to the other two. "This is Ranma Saotome, formerly of Nerima."

"Ahh," the officer responded in understanding. "That's why you said this was complicated." He turned to Ranma. "Tell me, young man...do you know what I mean when I ask you what a Quirk is?"

"Uh...something about my personality?" Ranma asked uncertainly.

"Do you know what a 'Pro-Hero' is?"

"...some sort of special law enforcement?"

"Did you show proper identification when you stepped off the train to here?" Naomasa pressed.

Ranma looked somewhat nervous. "I...went through the gates," he answered evasively.

The man raised an eyebrow. "I see..." He steepled his fingers. "EMT, have you finished analysis?"

"Almost," EMT replied as he leaned towards Ranma. "Please, look into my eyes." Nervously, Ranma did. "Ah, I _see_..." he purred excitedly. "That is definitely a new one on me. Tell me boy, what did you see of the Officer when he was asking you questions?"

Ranma blinked, surprised. "Uh...his aura was kind of...reaching out to me, reacting to mine. It was passive when I told the truth, spiked when I got evasive, and seemed ready to strike if I considered an out and out lie. But...I didn't see that..." He frowned. "...did I? That...that was my sixth sense..."

"That explains quite a bit," Aizawa concluded. "Normal feet?" he asked EMT.

"As normal as can be expected with how much training he's undergone," EMT explained. "My my, this is an interesting case..." He suddenly pulled back. "Goodness! How are you doing that?"

"I'm...just doing what you're doing," Ranma explained as he looked EMT over. "The way you focus the energy in your eyes...it's letting you see my insides, sorta? But...really big? I just...focused my energy the same way? But..." He frowned suddenly. "Wait...that's _not_ ki you're using...is it?"

EMT suddenly began to cackle. "Oh, I love this kid!" he crowed excitedly. "If he goes for the Hero Courses, I want his internship!"

"Huh?" Ranma asked, confused.

Naomasa stood up. "I'm pretty sure that takes care of anything on my end. I'll leave you and EMT to explain the rest." He turned to EMT. "Just the eyes?"

"Just one cell type in his eyes!" EMT explained eagerly. "I've never encountered a Quirk so...efficient in its alterations! Barely any bio-force expended stabilizing the body, leaving the rest to be stored to be utilized as a result of his training! Astounding!"

"Pretty sure I can make that work..." Naomasa confirmed. He turned to Aizawa. "I'll get back to you once I have answers." With that, he turned to leave the restaurant.

Aizawa turned back to Ranma. "I assume you want explanations now?" he asked calmly.

"...can I keep eating while you do?" Ranma asked curiously.

"Sure." Aizawa rolled his eyes as Ranma immediately dug in. "Alright, let me...simplify this as best I can. Some years ago, a child was born capable of generating light from his body, the first 'Quirk'. After that, numerous more children were born with superhuman abilities, ranging from the useful to the odd to the terrifying. As people with a 'Quirk' rapidly became the majority of human population, society changed in an attempt to acclimate Quirks into daily life, and to better manage them." He frowned. "It's still a work in progress. Presently, 80% of the human population has a Quirk, give or take. The other 20% either makes their way as best they can in our currently evolving society...or lives in communities scattered across the globe that are strictly no Quirk, maintaining what society was before Quirks came into existence. The Nerima district in Tokyo is one such community."

"That's why you asked if I was from Nerima when I didn't know anything about Quirks or Pro-Heroes?" Ranma asked in surprise.

"Exactly," Aizawa confirmed. "It's the closest No Quirk community, and the one that seems to experience the most...I guess you could call it 'leakage', anomalies that look like they should be related to Quirks but apparently aren't."

"And...I have a...Quirk, was it?" Ranma asked uncertainly.

"Yes," EMT confirmed. "Tell me, what do you know of how eyes work?"

Ranma blinked. "Uh...it involves...blocks?"

EMT sighed ruefully. "No. A normal human eye has two receptor cells to interpret the light received: rods and cones. Rods handle low-light vision, while cones handle high-light vision, the two types working together to paint a picture in your mind of the world around you based on the light they receive. But you have a third type of cell, shaped like a star. Oddly enough, they don't seem to react to light at all, but to energy emissions. This applies the flows of energy through people - and possibly objects, though at a much lower acuity - onto your mental image of the world, letting you _see_ the flow of life force and other sorts of energy in people. Your mind apparently also distinguishes between normal bio-energy - what you called ki - and exotic bio-energy, which is involved in the function of Quirks. Your body also appears to be suited to generating large amounts of both types, but this seems to be a result of lifestyle and diet rather than your Quirk."

"So...my Quirk isn't why I'm so good at martial arts?" Ranma clarified.

"It likely gave you an advantage in learning the initial skills," EMT allowed, "but mastery still only comes and stays with practice and determination."

Ranma let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to know." He set his food down, looking at it uncertainly. "So...what now?"

"That's where the legal issues come in," Aizawa explained calmly. "See, because society's still evolving, how Quirks can be applied is still in flux...and one of the aspects meant to keep things in control is that only Licensed Pro Heroes can use their Quirks against people with intent to hurt them, primarily against those using them to break the law, dubbed 'Villains'." He rubbed his brows as he felt a headache independent of his Quirk coming on. "The man attacking the store that you stopped was one such 'Villain', and while it speaks well of you that you stepped up to help others without thought to yourself...you aren't a Licensed Hero."

"But...but I am registered," Ranma pointed out. "For my martial arts skills..."

"And there's the big question," Aizawa explained ruefully. "Because your Quirk is what let you see the Pressure Points you used to disable him and take him down...does that qualify as 'using your Quirk' to hurt him? Because the laws about using martial arts in situations haven't changed yet, because for the most part martial arts training has fallen into disuse outside of Pro-Heroes and the non-Quirk communities."

"In other words, your situation is going to result in a new law being passed, or a new interpretation of a law being settled on, which will determine how your case plays out," EMT explained excitedly. "Aren't you glad to be doing your part to help shape society?"

Ranma groaned as he dropped his face to the table. "Maybe I was better off in Nerima..." he groaned ruefully.

"Cheer up kid," Aizawa offered helpfully. "This is one case where ignorance of the law is a good defense even if they _do_ rule against you. It can't be all that bad." _...yet,_ he added silently, not really wanting to distress Ranma further. There really was no telling how this case would go.


	3. Chapter 3

Ranma did his best not to get too morose as he walked along between Aizawa and EMT. Learning he had a 'Quirk' that was the reason he had such a good grasp of ki flows was...unnerving, but not world shatteringly so. He'd always been under the assumption that he'd been born with an exceptionally strong sixth sense, that his mind interpreted as 'seeing' ki flows, since Genma had described the sixth sense as working like that. This had also been the explanation for why he was able to learn new martial arts techniques so readily. Learning that this was a 'Quirk' that actually operated on eyesight...really only changed how he thought of it, not how it worked for him. Still, learning an entire aspect of biology - including his own - that he was completely unaware of did throw his sense of the world for a bit of a loop.

As he thought about it, he realized the only way he could really get used to it would be to actually explore it directly. Seeing how ki flowed to make a martial art technique work had always allowed him to mimic, but only by practicing it enough that he understood what it meant would truly make it his own. If he had been misusing this ability all this time by misunderstanding it, then what he needed to do now was refocus on it and develop it so he could make better use of it, and thus incorporate it into his Art.

As such, he decided to start with those nearest to him. First, he turned to Aizawa...or 'Eraserhead' as he was apparently also called. He'd noticed the 'exotic bio-energy' - the energy that powered his Quirk - was focused in his eyes, and when opened felt like black holes sucking in energy. It also hadn't affected him. Given the explanation of the 'Quirk energy' he'd managed to gleam, he could only assume that Aizawa's Quirk in some way blocked the function of the Quirks of others, but didn't work on his for some reason. EMT had described it as a 'Mutation Quirk', and one that only added one type of cell to his eyes. Either it was the Quirk type or the fact that most of his 'exotic bio-energy' was joined with his normal bio-energy, which Aizawa's Quirk didn't work on.

He'd already determined that EMT's Quirk worked by analyzing a person's body at a really deep level, a really good thing for a doctor. He would have thought Dr. Tofu had something similar...but thinking back, he hadn't seen any 'Quirk energy' in Tofu or anyone else in Nerima. Given Nerima was apparently a 'Quirkless' community, that made sense.

Setting aside these thoughts for a moment, he turned his attention to those they passed, focusing his ki to use the technique he'd learned when EMT was examining him. It wasn't perfected, but it did allow him to see Quirk energy more distinctly, and that should help him make sense of those he saw. He soon discovered that the 'Quirk energy' seemed to come in three distinct types depending on how they were focused. Those who had distinctly non-human anatomy had one type, a few costumed individuals he spotted - 'Pro-Heroes', he assumed - had another type that seemed to focus in specific parts of their bodies in much the way his ki did when he was about to launch the Moko Takabisha. While he also saw a third type, he didn't quite understand the way it was focused. It seemed spread throughout the body, and fed into and off of their ki.

Quite a few people seemed to have 'Quirk energy' that seemed to be a mix of the types...especially one person he spotted with multiple limbs that he was actively altering. He made a mental note to-

*******_Splash!*_**

Ranma groaned as he glanced down at _her_self, a stray splash of water having activated his curse. He'd happened to glance down at himself as the change occurred, and saw the other type of energy that always activated with the curse, flowing over his body only to vanish once the change was complete. He was frustrated to see it was completely different from the 'Quirk energy' he'd been seeing.

"So...that wasn't a Quirk, then?" Aizawa asked calmly as they moved to get him somewhere to dry off.

"Definitely not," EMT spoke up immediately. "Whatever energy caused the change, it _wasn't_ bio-energy of _any_ type."

Ranma grumbled as he began to wring out his shirt. "So much for finding a cure in Quirks..." he grumbled.

"My my," a friendly, somewhat mischievous spoke up nearby. "I'd heard rumors about Jusenkyo curses, but never expected to see one with my own eyes! I must say, it's quite fascinating!"

Turning, Ranma's eyes widened as he saw the source of the voice. The figure appeared almost entirely animal, with traits of mouse, bear, and dog that he was able to spot. He had completely white fur, a scar over one black beady eye, a button nose, and was dressed in semi-formal black clothes and orange sneakers...and his ki was distinctly different from that of any human. "Y...you're a talking animal!" Ranma gasped out in shock.

Aizawa's teeth grit. "Show some respect-"

"Oh, no need for that, Shota," the creature responded warmly. "He meant no offense...and besides, he is accurate." He turned the smile on Ranma. "You are quite right, I was never part of the species Homo Sapien. I am a unique case, an _animal_ with a Quirk. My Quirk, Hi Spec, grants me a heightened intellect and analyses ability, allowing me to function as a human despite my animal origins. I am Nezu, Principal of U.A. High School...and in this particular case, your legal representation."

"Uhh...come again?" Ranma asked in confusion.

"Wait, really?" Aizawa asked in surprise.

"The decision regarding this particular incident has been made," Nezu continued. "At my urging, it has been ruled that your particular Quirk is a non-combatant type Quirk, and as such you cannot be found guilty of using it to hurt others. In this case, your registration as a highly skilled martial artist covers you for such incidents, as long as you are acting to protect others as you were."

Ranma sighed with relief, only to yelp as Nezu suddenly poured hot water over him, reversing his curse much to EMT's fascination. "Okay, what's the catch?" he asked, certain that there was no way he could get off scot free in this situation.

"Ah, I thought you'd see that quickly," Nezu replied happily. "You see, it was noticed that with one of your pressure point strikes, you were able to cut off part of a Mutation Quirk's functionality, something that _no_ Quirk known can do directly. Even Aizawa's Quirk only works on Emission or Transformation type Quirks. That sort of skill is...dangerous."

Ranma groaned ruefully. "So...what happens to me, then?"

"Simply put, it is the decision of the committee that oversaw this ruling that you receive hero training, and be licensed as a Pro-Hero," Nezu continued. "In this way, those laws can be applied to you, and thus you become a civil resource, rather than a civil hazard." He rubbed his paw-like hands together. "In regards to how this directly affects you, it means you have to attend the course at a licensed Hero High School, of which U.A. - the school I run - is one of the best, if I may be so immodest to say." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You're a little older than the starting class normally is, but you should fit in quite well."

Ranma frowned, backing away. "I'm not so sure..."

"You'll be getting in on Aizawa-sensei's recommendation-"

"Wait, what?" Aizawa asked in surprise. "Not that I wouldn't have, but shouldn't I have been asked?"

"I knew you would, so what does it matter?" Nezu asked curiously. "Besides, it was necessary for this next part that it be laid down before the decision was made." He turned back to Ranma. "It means you're slotted in immediately, will have all food expenses covered by the school-"

"Better slot plenty of all you can eat spots for that," EMT observed dryly.

"-and until such time as permanent accommodations are arranged, you will be staying with Aizawa-sensei, who will also tutor you in any subjects you need to get up to level with," Nezu continued. "I understand that, for example, biology isn't your strong suit? You might want to work on that, considering what a large part that plays in Quirks...and I expect great and unusual things from yours."

"...do I have any choice in the matter?" Ranma asked ruefully.

"Certainly," Nezu replied easily. "You can refuse and be shipped back to Nerima...or agree, and receive among the rest of this legal protection from your father claiming guardianship of you to take you away from this training and the options it will open for you in your future."

Ranma blinked in surprise. "Wait, if I say yes, and Pops tries to come drag me home, the police will stop him?"

"And Pro-Heroes," Nezu confirmed. "I'll also personally assist in untangling any other headaches that might follow you that would interfere with your studies."

"Where do I sign?" Ranma asked eagerly. He was probably leaping yet again into the deep end of madness that would make Nerima look tame...but actually having support would be worth it.

...now if only Nezu's excited giggling weren't so unsettling.


	4. Chapter 4

Ranma sighed to himself as he went through his morning kata, a textbook in one hand as he leapt, bounded, punched, kicked, and flipped about. The martial arts came to him almost second nature at this point so he didn't really need to focus, so he was taking the time to try and crack the textbook Eras...no, Aizawa-sensei had tried to work on with him the night before after settling in. Aizawa-sensei's apartment was a rather spartan studio apartment with attached kitchen and bath, and his only furniture aside from a TV had been a single futon he'd picked up on the way to the apartment for Ranma to use. Aizawa-sensei apparently slept in a sleeping bag he carried with him at all times, and whenever he felt tired. He also didn't seem to have a use or need for any sort of luxury or frippery in his life. Ranma could respect that.

Still, the attempt at study had not proven fruitful. Aizawa-sensei had started with the texts covered in the last year of middle school outside Quirkless communities - the material new students at UA would have studied before enrolling - only to find Ranma had no grasp of the material up to that point. He could handle very basic math, his hand writing was terrible, and he knew next to nothing about history or biology as studied in the Quirk Era...and not much outside of that, either. As such, Aizawa-sensei's attempts at tutoring had hit a dead end, and Aizawa-sensei himself looked frustrated at even _attempting_ to teach Ranma anything.

This was why Ranma had the book with him as he did his morning kata on the roof of Aizawa's building. He didn't like the idea that he was letting Aizawa-sensei or Nezu down when they - apparently - went out on a limb for him to no forseeable benefit to themselves. Besides, Ranma had dedicated himself to being the best martial artist for most of his life, martial artists were supposed to protect the week...so in his mind, that meant in this world of Quirks, Heroes, and Villains, he was supposed to become the best possible Hero he could be. And that meant, among other things, he needed to know what it meant to be a hero.

...now if only the words in the textbook made sense to him...

"You do this every morning?" Aizawa asked from a perch he'd taken up on the roof.

"Most mornings," Ranma replied as he seamlessly shifted the book to his other hand so that arm could get the workout as well, before shifting into a mixed batch of punches. The book remained exactly where it was relative to his face at all times, whether he was holding it up with his left hand, right hand, or a foot. "Don't normally have a book, though. Normally, I try to think while I do this...unless something happens that starts the day off on a bad start."

"And how many mornings did that happen back in Nerima?" Aizawa pressed gently.

"Most mornings."

Aizawa stared up at him flat eyed, whether in reaction to his words or because that was just his normal expression was impossible to tell. "Well, when you're done, we're heading out. I found someone who should have an easier time tutoring you than me, and she volunteered for it."

"She?" Ranma asked nervously as he closed the book, coming to a stop on a perch at the opposite end of the roof from Aizawa.

"She's going to be one of your classmates in the Hero Course at UA," Aizawa explained calmly. "She also got in on recommendation, and when Nezu mentioned your situation to her she volunteered to help out."

"Really?" Ranma asked after a while. "Just like that?"

"According to Nezu, that's just how she is," Aizawa responded wryly. "We're going to meet with her over breakfast." He gestured off in the direction of the restaurant they'd be meeting her at. "Her treat."

"Let's not be late, then!" Ranma declared eagerly as he dashed to the edge of the roof before leaping for the next one in the indicated direction, only to be jerked back by one of Aizawa's scarves.

"One, you don't know what restaurant," Aizawa chided firmly. "Two, you don't know who we're meeting. Three, you need the textbooks."

"...lead the way?" Ranma asked awkwardly as he pulled the pack with his study books out from behind the roof access. Rolling his eyes, Aizawa turned to leap to the next roof, mildly intrigued that Ranma showed neither hesitation nor strain in the 30 foot standing leap to a higher roof.

_Well, can't fault his physical abilities at least,_ Aizawa mused silently.

* * *

Ranma whistled as Aizawa led him into a _very_ high end breakfast restaurant, the sort of place he was certain they wouldn't have even been allowed into with how they looked if Aizawa-sensei hadn't flashed his Pro-Hero ID...and the name he'd asked for that Ranma didn't catch hadn't set the maitre'd to all but bowing and scraping. "I guess whoever we're meeting has time and resources to spare, then?" he asked awkwardly as he tried not to feel inadequate.

"In a manner of speaking," Aizawa replied calmly as they were led to a private room within the restaurant. Inside was a large table heaped with food, and three chairs. Two were unoccupied. A young woman who looked about Ranma's age stepped out of the third and moved to greet them.

"Aizawa-senset," she greeted formally. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She then turned to Ranma. "And you would be Ranma Saotome?"

"That's me," Ranma replied as he looked the girl over. Her long black hair was done in a spiky ponytail, and her onyx eyes were slightly slanted as she looked at him, for a brief moment making Ranma shiver as they reminded him of the eyes of a cat. She was dressed in a short-sleeve white blouse and matching skirt, and low white heels. "And you are...?"

"I'm Momo Yaoyorozu," she introduced herself warmly. "I'll be your classmate coming the start of term, and Principal Nezu mentioned you needed some help catching up to the curriculum due to your unique situation. I hope to be able to help with that."

"I hope so too," Ranma allowed, deliberately ignoring the way her outfit hugged her frame...or the way said frame bounced as she spoke. "I've got my books here..." He reached into his bag.

At that moment, a slight gurgle echoed from Momo's stomach. "Actually, perhaps we could eat first? I have not yet breakfasted, and it would have been rude to begin before my guests arrived..."

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Ranma agreed as he dropped his bag. "Mind if I just dig in?" He gestured to the spread.

"Be my guest-" Momo began, only to stare in surprise as Ranma almost literally dove in, devouring everything in reach quite rapidly. "Oh my," she muttered, just barely loud enough for Aizawa to hear. "It looks like I'll have to discard my manners if I'm to get what I need. Still, if it makes him more comfortable with me..." And with that she dove in as well, eating nearly as much and as fast as Ranma.

Aizawa calmly moved to one end of the table, where he selected a more modest breakfast. Given the nature of Yaoyorozu's Quirk, he knew her appetite would likely be larger than one would expect looking at her. Still, seeing the two of them go at the spread like a school of piranha was somewhat off-putting. Then he saw Ranma's smirk and the competitive glint in his eye as he began eating faster...only for Momo to match. _As long as they're getting along..._ he thought silently as he took his plate to one corner of the room and calmly ate and watched. _She can afford the cleaning bill too, if need be..._


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't long before the entire spread had been decimated, with nothing but empty plates and untouched silverware scattered over the table where once had been platters of breakfast food. Momo calmly - and with some embarrassment - wiped her hands clean. "Terribly sorry for losing control there," she offered apologetically.

"Don't need to say sorry to me," Ranma replied as he gave his own hands a once over, seeing that - despite handling food - they were completely clean, a result of his Chestnut Fist technique and Martial Arts eating training. "Honestly, it was a treat to see someone who could keep up with me at the table without getting angry at me over it. But where do you put it all? Does your Quirk let you control body mass or something?"

"N-not exactly," Momo stammered as she put her handkerchief away. "Though my Quirk _is_ the reason I have such a large appetite, among other things. You see-"

"You should probably show rather than tell," Aizawa interrupted. "Part of why Ranma needs your help is he'd have a hard time following all the terms." Ranma winced at the cruel if accurate assessment.

"...very well then," Momo allowed, placing her hand on the inside of her elbow where her skin was left bare. She closed her eyes and focused as a glitter of light appeared there and she pulled out an intricately decorated paper fan, which she unfolded almost shyly in front of the lower half of her face. "This is my Quirk, Creation," she explained calmly. "I'm able to convert my lipid storage into inorganic material in any shape or configuration I'm able to perfectly conceptualize in my head."

Ranma's eyes widened at this announcement. He'd been focusing as he saw it happened, even tweaking his ki to use EMT's optical technique to see it working, and he'd seen the tight packet of energy race down along her Quirk pathways from her brain to her elbow, along with the burst of energy from her core that raced to meet it. "Impressive," he murmured in awe. "Though...you might want to think about armoring the back of your neck, especially close to your skull."

"Oh?" Momo asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Ranma's Quirk has been dubbed Life Sight," Aizawa explained calmly. "He has a third cell-type in his eyes specifically adapted to see the flow of energy. This lets him, among other things, see the flow of bio-energy through a person, both the normal type that everyone has and the exotic type that powers Quirks. He's also trained most of his life in the Martial Arts, including pressure point strikes. Between that and his Quirk, he can find pressure points that can cut off a person's ability to use their Quirk."

"In your case, it's at the back of your neck on either side of your spine where it meets your skull," Ranma explained as Momo's eyes widened in surprise. "Striking there with the right pressure and application of energy would block the signal from your brain telling your Quirk what to make where."

"I...I see," Momo murmured as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Definitely something to take into account when I design my hero costume. Perhaps a high-backed collar with energy resistant reinforcement?"

"Uh...I...what?" Ranma asked, not actually understanding most of what she said.

Momo looked at Ranma for a time, then closed her eyes. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a pair of small-lensed glasses and put them on before opening her eyes. She somehow suddenly looked a lot more studious and serious. "Tell me, Ranma...where would you say your greatest skills and passion lie?"

"In the Martial Arts, and combat," Ranma replied immediately.

"I see," Momo mused as she walked over and picked up his school books. "I assume that means you know just about everything when it comes to How to fight. But what about the other factors?"

Ranma blinked in confusion. "...other factors?"

Momo smiled as she lifted up the first book. "Such as Who to fight?" She showed the text on criminal law, which among other things outlined the difference between a Criminal and a Villain. "Or What to fight?" She lifted the next textbook, a Biology text that covered how biology shifted in regard to mutation and transformation Quirks. "Or where to fight?" She then picked up the next book, which covered Heroic Responsibilities. "Or Why to fight?" She then picked up the last book, regarding Hero Regulations. "Or When to fight? Or, just as important, When Not to fight?"

Ranma tapped his chin in thought as he stared at the books, their contents suddenly a _lot_ more interesting. "I...never thought about all that. I always just...fought back when I was attacked, or for others when they were. Didn't really think beyond the fight..."

"Which is something you need to think about if you want to be a Hero," Momo explained readily, smiling. "And this should help in that regard...since you'll also need how to talk to people, both to talk down an opponent if needed, or reassure Civilians."

"So...does that mean no math?" he asked hopefully.

"No, math is important...and plays a part in fighting as well," Momo explained. "Perhaps looking at it differently..." Creating a piece of paper, she wrote out an equation.

7x + 3y = 50 x=? y=?

"Can you solve this equation?" she asked calmly.

Ranma looked at the paper in confusion. "What's an equation?" he asked. "Why are there letters mixed in with the numbers?"

Momo smiled softly. "Let's look at this another way," she explained calmly. "Let's say you've been fighting for a long time, and you can only deliver 50 more strikes before you're spent. There are two types of foes left, those that take you seven blows to KO-" she pointed to the x in the equation "-and those that only take 3." She pointed to the y. "If you want to expend yourself completely to best aid your allies, but not let any of your foes be able to recover to rejoin the fight-"

"Five of each," Ranma replied easily. "35 blows to take out five of the first type, and 15 to take out five of the second type. That maximizes both the number of foes I'm able to take out, and the number of the tougher ones I can take down, which is better for the group."

Momo smiled warmly. "That is indeed one correct solution to this equation, assuming only whole numbers." She filled in '5' for each variable, and wrote out the end result. "As you can see, math can even be important in fighting...and apparently comes easy to you if you think of it in those terms."

"Huh," Ranma mused as he looked at the equation. "That's...different..."

In his corner, Aizawa smiled. Momo had come highly recommended as a tutor for good reason. Now that Ranma had proper motivation and she'd presented the material in ways that made sense to him, he should progress at a more reasonable rate.


	6. Chapter 6

Aizawa stared stupefied as Ranma seemingly devoured his text books over the next few days. From the moment Momo had presented education as another aspect of combat, he began absorbing the information like a sponge, and from the questions he asked seemed to comprehend it as well...and even more frighteningly, the loopholes that the evolving society hadn't managed to identify and close yet, whether for good or ill. It was a little unnerving seeing someone who didn't understand the concept of variables one day solving matrix equations the next before the steps could even be explained, especially when deriving the balance of the variables in terms of Knockouts, Submissions, Ringouts, Exhaustion, and Ki Depletion. He was somewhat relieved to see that this caught Momo off guard as well...but by the end of that day's tutoring hours she'd begun leaping ahead.

He assumed that part of Ranma's rapid assimilation of knowledge was because Momo taught it while they sparred, as she had decided based on Ranma's capabilities that martial arts training would improve her ability to use her Quirk as a hero. As Ranma had put it, it didn't do her any good to make any tool or weapon in an instant if she didn't know the best ways to use it. Ranma had kept his combat to a level Momo could keep up with initially, which gave him plenty of energy to focus on lessons, and he spent as much time teaching her the Art as she spent teaching him other subjects.

But then Momo had come back with a new wrinkle.

* * *

_"What is it?" Ranma asked curiously as he held up the odd construction of springs, gears, pulleys, and bracers centered around a computer screen._

_"It's something I thought of during yesterday's sparring session," Momo explained as she laid it out, showing that it would just barely stretch out to fully match Ranma's build. "It's a limiter suit that will reduce your physical capabilities by a specific percentage."_

_"Well, that might let you keep up with me," Ranma joked playfully. "And it would be good for training." Picking it up, he squeezed himself into it, flexing as it moved with him. "Doesn't...seem to be doing anything, though."_

_"That's because I haven't activated it yet," Momo explained. Reaching forward, she pressed a button on the central unit, causing the screen to light up. "Fifty." She pulled her hand back._

_The number display in the center quickly counted up to fifty, and Ranma tensed up as the suit pulled taut, making every movement no matter how simple - even as much as turning his head - take twice as much effort. "Wow, that's...tense..."_

_"It will also help with testing," Momo explained with a smile. "While we spar, I'll ask you questions about the material we've been studying. If you get a-" She snapped her fingers. "-correct answer..."_

_As she finished saying 'correct', the screen let off a "Bin-pong!" sound like a game show podium, and the number reduced to 49. Ranma felt the tension in the suit relax a very small amount. "It goes down at your signal?" he asked in surprise._

_"Or up, if you're-" She snapped her fingers. "-wrong."_

_The screen let out a "Bzzz-uzz!" as the number turned red and went back up to 50, and the suit returned to the higher tension. "Neat!" Ranma declared eagerly as he kept flexing, getting used to how much stronger each movement had to be. "So how are we using it for testing?"_

_"Simple," Momo explained. "I will be testing my skills by attempting to 'tag' you with a punch or kick you can't block or dodge. While I do so, I'll also be asking questions, and the limitations the suit imposes will go up or down based on how well you answer. You win if you get it down to zero before I tag you."_

_"And if you tag me?" Ranma asked, a competitive glint in his eye._

_Momo grinned. "Then you lose."_

_Ranma eagerly cricked his knuckles. "This is going to be fun..."_

* * *

Ranma had been wearing the suit ever since, whether they were training or not. The training had continued as Momo had dictated, with the 'battle exams' happening at the end of each session. He watched as one such session was going on now.

"Professional Heroes generally wear exceptionally flashy costumes!" Momo called out as she pressed forward with a combination of punches and kicks different from what Ranma had shown her, only for him to twist and dodge out of the way. "Name three different possible explanations!"

"Economics!" Ranma called back as he flipped around the next strike, sending a foot sweep to force Momo to change her approach. "Pro-Heroes pay comes from the Agency they belong to, which makes its money on sales of merchandise. The more distinct the appearance, the more easily recognizable they are for branding."

"That's one!" Momo replied as she went for a jumping kick, generating a pole from her back facing palm to send her forward much faster than she normally could.

"Combat!" Ranma called out as he bent backwards under her kick before kicking the pole out of her grasp, spinning it around before sending it flying back her way. "The distinct, flamboyant appearance makes them the center of attention, which both draws the attention of Villains away from Civilians and gives the Civilians hope of making it out safely, since they know someone whose job it is to handle this has arrived."

"That's two!" Momo declared as she caught the pole and began spinning it, striking at Ranma from all sides with either end, trying to catch him off guard.

"Personality!" Ranma declared as he blocked each and every blow. "The type of person who would choose to become a Pro Hero and risk life and limb every single day for the sake of complete strangers is either driven by duty or highly eccentric. As a result they either choose such a costume for the prior reasons based on logic, or they're naturally flamboyant with tendencies towards high drama and enjoy it." He caught the end of the pole, leapt over her as he pulled it along, and sent her flying as he pulled the pole with him. "In other words," he called out as she aimed herself to land feet first against a light post to kick back, "because it's fun!"

"Correct!" Momo called out with a snap of her fingers, and Ranma's display blipped to 25.

"Okay, that's enough," Aizawa called out, stepping forward. "You're starting to get into first and second year hero course material, and I don't want you getting bored in class."

Ranma and Momo both stopped, coming to a halt and turning to him. "But...there's more to learn!" Ranma complained.

"And I still haven't managed to tag him!" Momo complained, a fire in her eyes.

"You'll have plenty of chances for that during the school year," Aizawa pointed out as he walked forward. "But first...there's a different sort of test I want to give you, Ranma."

"A different sort of test?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes." Leaning forward, he pressed his finger to the button that set the limiter. "99."

"Wait, what?" Momo gasped out in surprise as the suit beeped and set itself, displaying 99 on the screen. Ranma gritted his teeth as he felt the tension compressing his limbs, having to infuse his ki into his limbs just to keep from being forced into a fetal position.

"Just one question, with no right or wrong answer," Aizawa explained. "However, what you answer will tell me a great deal about who you are and how you see being a Hero, so think very carefully before you answer. And to make sure you understand the importance..." Without further warning, he lunged in and delivered a full force punch to Ranma's gut.

Ranma let out a hiss of breath as he struggled not to bend over even as he was forced back several feet. He'd seen the flow of ki in Aizawa's arm as he prepared for the punch, tracked its likely path, and focused his own ki in his gut as best he could to brace for the blow. It still had hurt like hell.

"I'm going to be attacking you until you answer," Aizawa finished explaining. "And if you lose consciousness before you're able to answer, you lose."

"Aizawa-sensei, this is-" Momo began angrily.

"It's okay!" Ranma interrupted, his eyes alight. He smiled at Momo. "I...got this." He forced his limbs out to his combat stance despite the creaking of the suit as it tried to keep him from moving. "What's...the question?"

Aizawa smiled. "What is most important about the Hero Rankings?" The holes behind Aizawa's eyes opened...and Ranma felt his ki draining.

"W-what?" Ranma gasped as he struggled to keep himself upright. "How are you..."

"That's not an answer," Aizawa stated flatly as he kicked Ranma aside. "But to answer your question, watching how you used your ki to mimic EMT's Quirk made me realize that Quirk energy and Ki had enough similarities to be affected by the same things. So by focusing differently, I can use my Quirk to hobble your ability to draw on your ki instead of your Quirk, which I can't affect anyway since it's a Mutation Quirk. So however this goes, thanks for giving me the idea." As Ranma stood back up, Aizawa kneed him in the gut just under the screen. "Now answer mine."

Ranma coughed as he fell to his hands and knees, then rolled to the side as he felt the next blow coming. He'd studied the Hero Rankings, and the role it played in Quirk Society with the various heroes and the arguments both for and against it that had been presented. But the more he'd learned, the more he'd thought...

Aizawa brought his fist down, aiming for Ranma's head...only for Ranma's hand to shoot up, catching the incoming blow.

"It's the most important mistake society has made in regard to Quirks..." Ranma growled out as he forced himself upward, his eyes glowing as his battle aura flared.

"Oh?" Aizawa asked curiously as - to his surprise - he was pushed back. "How so?"

"The Heroes are ranked according to popularity," Ranma growled out as he got one foot under him. "This is primarily used by marketing executives to figure out merchandise orders...but it also makes news. This is a mistake, since it makes 'being popular' more important to Pro Heroes than _doing their jobs!_ Because how popular they are also influences how much they get _paid!_" He got his other foot under him as the suit began sparking and displaying an 'Error' message as the number on it fluctuated as it tried to maintain the 99% limiter. "This turns Pro-Heroes who should be allies...into rivals, trying to outdo each other rather than do the best for the world. That's why...it's a mistake."

"And important?" Aizawa asked curiously as a smile started to spread on his face.

"The Number One Hero becomes a symbol," Ranma growled out as he got fully upright. "The longer they keep the rank, the more Civilians can rally around the image of the Hero, and the more focused Villains become on taking him down to upset society. This makes Villains more predictable, and easier to handle if they get organized. Because of this, for the world as it is to function..." Pulling his other arm back, he threw a punch at Aizawa, hitting him right in the solar plexus and sending him skidding back as the suit finally stopped working, pieces of it actually falling off of him. "...it needs a Number One who can live up to it..." Unable to keep himself going as he'd burned his ki too long to fight both suit and Aizawa's drain, Ranma slumped onto the ground, gasping for breath.

As Momo rushed to Ranma's side to check on him, Aizawa looked down at Ranma...and grinned widely. "You've got guts, kid," he said as he rubbed at where the blow had been struck. "And a brain that works now. We'll see starting day one if you can live up to it. I look forward to teaching you."


	7. Chapter 7

Ranma frowned as he sat in his seat in Class 1-A. He was the first one in the class, having been escorted there before the school was officially open by Aizawa-sensei. He tugged irritably at the school uniform - white shirt, grey blazer, blue pants, and brown shoes - as he stared out at the classroom. There were a total of 22 desks in the classroom: the teacher's, 20 student desks arranged in a five by four pattern facing the teacher's desk...and his own, facing the door. When he'd questioned Aizawa-sensei about why he was being placed there, obviously different from other students, the response had been...enlighteningly vague.

_"You are different from other students, Ranma. Between your learning curve and natural talent, the only thing really keeping you from skipping grades is combat experience requirements. As such, I'm going to be making use of your Quirk in class. For now, just sit there and make what you can of everyone's Quirks when they come in. I'll let you know more if it comes up."_

Sighing, He pulled out a few textbooks and began going through the material again, starting with the early chapters as that's likely what they would be covering that day. It wasn't long until the door opened, however. Glancing up, he saw it was Momo, wearing the girl's school uniform which differed from the boy's only in that it had a skirt instead of pants. She smiled as she saw him but looked confused at where he was. Ranma returned the smile, but shook his head. He didn't know why he was where he was either, and now wasn't the time to try and figure it out. Momo quickly took her seat.

Next to enter was a girl who looked to be Momo's age, but Ranma had a hard time making out many details about her as her entire body was lined with her Quirk Energy, making her almost seem to glow to his vision. He wondered what her Quirk was that it flowed completely through her like that...but her bright smile, the way her eyes shone with excitement, and the way her messy hair bounced with her steps, she was rather cute.

However, he was quickly distracted from her as a boy with spiky blonde hair stepped in, a permanent sneer on his face as he glared around. As soon as his eyes locked on Ranma, he stormed over to him. "Hey!" he barked out. "How come you're sitting over here? You think you're better than me?!"

Ranma frowned as he followed the flows of the boy's Quirk and ki. It seemed to sparkle in his sweat and burn in his hands, and Ranma could smell nitroglycerin and smoke. "Take your seat, Bomberman," he stated dryly. "I'm not getting detention on my first day for caving in a fellow student's face or skull."

"Oh you think you can take me?!" the boy demanded as he slammed his hands down on Ranma's desk as sparks began around him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Bring it on-"

Seeing the flows of Quirk energy, Ranma snaked his hands out and struck a point on the inside of each of the boy's wrists as he swung one hand forward to fling an explosion at him. The only thing that hit him was the boy's nitro sweat. As the boy stared in shock, Ranma glowered at him. "If you want me to remove that pressure point, take. Your. Seat. Otherwise, have fun being known as Stinky Sparkless."

The boy glared angrily at him...then slammed his wrists down on the desk hard. He gasped in pain, but sparks flared in his hands again. "You don't scare me..." he growled out as he tensed up.

Ranma's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're going to be _fun_," he purred eagerly. "But if you don't get out of my face now and _take your seat_, I'll see to it you're physically incapable of doing so." Lifting his hand, he generated a sphere of ki as he prepared a Moko Takabisha...before shifting the flow to match the boy's sparks, turning it into a shifting sphere of explosive flame. "You don't scare _me_, either."

The boy glared at him for a time...and the sneer turned into a smirk. "Katsuki Bakugou," he said, extending his right hand to shake, clean of his sweat. "I'll kick your ass later."

Smirking back, Ranma reabsorbed his ki sphere and took the extended hand. "Ranma Saotome," Ranma replied easily. "You're welcome to try." As Katsuki attempted to apply pressure to the grip, Ranma let him...then squeezed hard. Katsuki quickly withdrew his hand. They glared competitively at each other for a time, and then Katsuki went to his seat, leaning back in his chair and resting his feet on the desk, his sneer once more overtaking his face.

_Looks like things will be interesting even if I do get too far ahead in the material,_ Ranma thought to himself. He barely stopped an audible chuckle when he saw Momo covering her eyes and shaking her head ruefully. The glowing girl was also giggling silently, not even bothering to hide it...and yet neither Momo not Katsuki seemed to notice. How odd.

* * *

Before long, 17 students in total had filed in, and Ranma had made a mental assessment of each of their attitudes and Quirks. All of those he hadn't met personally seemed dedicated and had powerful Quirks...but he'd made a mental note of a few he considered possible problems waiting to happen, aside from Katsuki and his ego. The most dangerously volatile in his opinion aside from Katsuki was a boy who had the face of a black feathered bird, as his Quirk was directly tied to the more primal aspects of his ki and seemed stronger in the shadows cast by the furniture. Whatever the nature of his Quirk, it was highly likely that should he go somewhere in absolute darkness, he would lose total control of it and go berserk...which was _not_ a pleasant thought.

Of more concerning to him for emotional reasons were two particular students. The first was a boy whose hair was half white and half red, with a very bad burn scar around his eye under the red hair. His ki and Quirk were strongly divided right down the middle of his body, and that on the side with the red hair and scar seemed mostly suppressed. He didn't know what could have caused it, but he knew it was not healthy.

The other was the smallest student in the class, with odd purple spheres instead of hair in which his Quirk was focused. As soon as he'd entered he'd started ogling the female classmates and actually drooling, though a few glares quickly sent him to his seat. Ranma had the feeling he had a budding Happosai Mark Two here, and that was the last thin he wanted if his Curse activated at school.

The next student to enter was a tall boy with blue hair and glasses and - of all things - exhaust pipes growing out of the back of his legs. He seemed rather stiff and focused...and immediately started lecturing Katsuki about having his feet on his desk. Ranma started to focus on that...only to wince as the next student came in.

The boy was rather short and had green hair...and that was literally all Ranma could make out before he had to close and cover his eyes from the literal _blaze_ of Quirk energy inside of him, burning like a miniature sun and bursting to escape him. Ranma quickly blocked out his awareness of his other senses as he tried to modulate his Quirk to control how much he saw. As he did, another student came in, a rather bubbly girl who's Quirk energy seemed to float over her ki pathways. When Ranma focused his attention on the boy again, what he saw concerned him all the more. The pathways the Quirk energy wanted to follow were barely formed and actively damaging his ki pathways as though tearing his body apart. Something absolutely needed to be done.

...just as soon as his eyes stopped watering.


	8. Chapter 8

"If you're just here to make friends, then you can pack up your stuff now."

As that familiar voice cut through the noise, Ranma lifted his head. The boy with the blinding Quirk was to one side, and apparently embarrassed by talking to a brown haired girl whose Quirk energy seemed to be flowing off her body as though actively fighting the pull of gravity. However, Ranma focused his attention on Aizawa-sensei as he stood up in his sleeping bag.

"Welcome to UA's hero course," he stated flatly. "It took 8 seconds before you all shut up. That's not going to work." He shed his sleeping bag. "Time is precious. Rational students would understand that."

Ranma sighed as he saw just how brusque Aizawa-sensei was being as a teacher. Still, he wasn't really surprised. Despite how fast he normally healed, he still had bruises from when the limiter suit fell off him...all from Aizawa's blows rather than anything else that would have bruised him. As he watched, Aizawa-sensei pulled out what was plainly the UA gym uniform - a blue and white one piece one-size-fits-all jersey with UA emblazoned on it, with instructions to put them on and head outside. Keeping his gaze off the boy with the miniature sun inside him, Ranma used the Quick Change technique - the one his old man had used to avoid indecent exposure charges anytime he switched back from his panda cursed form - to get into his own gym clothes before calmly leaping out the window to the track field Aizawa directed the class to.

To his surprise, Momo leapt after him. "Are you crazy?" she whispered in shock. "Are you _trying_ to get yourself in trouble for recklessness?"

"What?" Ranma asked in confusion. "I landed fine, and Aizawa-sensei _just_ said that time is precious."

"Indeed it is," Aizawa called from the window Ranma and Momo had jumped from. He then turned to the class. "Well? What are you waiting for? Use your Quirks if you need to, but get down there ASAP." With that, he leapt out, following Ranma and Momo, landing lightly on the ground.

The other students leapt out, trying to ground themselves in their own way. The mini-pervert Ranma was worried about pulled a few spheres from his head - quickly replaced as they grew back - and dropped them to the ground where they stuck. He jumped out the window to land on them, bouncing off them lightly. Another student making the attempt landed on them and got stuck. Bakugou jumped recklessly, using an explosion to slow his descent. The bubbly girl used her Quirk to slowly float several students down, including Mr. Mini-sun and the glowing girl. Mr. Stick-Up-His-Butt with the exhaust pipes simply leapt out, landing easily as his legs absorbed the impact. The bird-faced boy used his shadow to catch himself...somehow.

Once everyone was down, Aizawa waited for everyone to line up. "Alright everyone, time for a Quirk Assessment Test."

"Quirk Assessment Test?" the rest of the class called out as Ranma rubbed his ear from the noise.

"But orientation!" the girl with the anti-grav Quirk pointed out. "We're going to miss it!"

"If you really want to make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremony," Aizawa pointed out flatly, causing several students to gasp in shock. "Here at UA, we aren't tethered to traditions. That means I get to run my class however I see fit." He turned to face the class. "As it happens, there was an error with class assignments. As you may have noticed, we're one too many." He beckoned Ranma forward.

Frowning, Ranma moved up to stand beside him.

"This is Ranma Saotome," Aizawa explained calmly. "He's in the class on my recommendation because frankly, he's at least a year ahead of most of you when it comes to combat skill and I expect him to outshine everyone academically before too long."

_Who'd you learn teaching from, Hyrum Graff?_ Ranma thought silently, remembering a particular book Momo had introduced him to, getting him to read it as a lesson in combat leadership as often Pro Heroes worked in teams.

"However, by the time the recommendation went through, my class already had 20 students, but it was left to me to resolve it," Aizawa continued his explanation. "So the rest of you are going through this assessment. You'll be engaging in several different standard track and field activities...but using your Quirks, as you'll be expected to do for all physical activities at this school. Whoever scores lowest overall will be expelled so Ranma can have their seat, so don't hold back."

_Really not making me any friends,_ Ranma growled in his mind as he looked at how everyone was looking at him now. To his surprise, the only one looking at him with distaste was Bakugou, though that seemed more to be his normal expression. Everyone else could be divided into four categories: those looking at him in fear; those who seemed determined; those who showed no expression whatsoever; and those who seemed intrigued by him based on what Aizawa had said.

Although Momo seemed to be trying to hide a look of distaste towards Aizawa, not that Ranma was really surprised at that. Sighing, Ranma decided to just see what would happen...and hope that if someone was expelled, it was someone no one in the class would be too upset about losing. It was the first day, after all, so how close could anyone be?

* * *

Ranma sat back, frowning as he watched the students pushing themselves as hard as possible. Once Aizawa had overrode any objections with the same callousness - though justifying it by saying the world, and villains, would be no less brutal in testing them once they were pros, a valid point - everyone started giving their all in the various tests. Ranma kept his eyes focused, watching how each of them used their Quirks to give themselves an advantage and perform better than they could without. Some of them he wouldn't be able to mimic simply because his body wasn't built the way theirs was - the Shadow Bird man and the Frog Girl were good examples there - others he could possibly develop ki techniques to mimic, and incorporate into his personal style.

The one point of confusion from this perspective was the boy with the immense power inside him. He wasn't using his Quirk at all, and seemed almost afraid of what could happen if he tried. Every so often he would start to, only to immediately pull back. As a result, his scores were consistently the lowest over the course of the first four tests, until it got to ball throw. Ranma was idly amused to see the anti-grav girl's throw score 'infinity' as it had escaped the Earth's gravity well before she removed her power from it.

Then the boy - Izuku Midoriya, that's what the others called him - was up. He seemed to focus on the ball for a while, and then Ranma saw the energy flooding into his arm, already starting to overflow and pull apart his ki pathways as it prepared to be unleashed...only to be swallowed up, pulled away as the holes behind Aizawa's eyes opened.

Ranma listened calmly as Aizawa lectured Midoriya about the nature of his Quirk...and have very valid points all around. _A Quirk that destroys his body just to use it? I can believe that, his Quirk energy is several hundred times stronger than his ki, bare minimum. It's no wonder he can't contain it...and unless and until he can, it does him more harm than good. Is he this world's idea of a cruel joke?_ He sighed. He hated knowing he'd be getting the boy's seat, especially when it seemed being here meant so much to him.

As Aizawa backed away, plainly expecting nothing from Midoriya, Ranma frowned. Everything about the boy's posture said he was beaten and wouldn't be able to do much...but to Ranma's eyes, there was something unexpected. His ki was shifting, almost seeming to burn. _It almost looks like he's about to generate a battle aura, but his ki isn't strong or disciplined enough to do that-_ Ranma's eyes widened. _His Quirk is responding? That's new. It seems to be feeding off the shaping of his ki...and feeding into it._ His eyes narrowed as he saw Midoriya's ki shift to diamond hardness. _Well, he's determined I'll give him that. Whatever he's going to do, he's going out fighting._ He found himself smiling. _If he does get expelled here, I'll look him up between classes. Some focused training ought to get him able to handle his Quirk before too long-_

He watched in disbelief as the Quirk energy exploded out as Midoriya threw again...focused entirely in his index finger just as it broke contact with the ball. The resulting discharge pulverised the inside of the finger...but the ki of the rest of his hand _and_ his Quirk itself held the bones and muscle in a configuration like normal so the finger was still somewhat functional, and the ball went flying like it was shot from a cannon.

Ranma narrowed his eyes. _No, that's not it...his Quirk reshaped itself! Part of it went to keeping his finger intact by supercharging the cells to handle the discharge!_ He found himself grinning from ear to ear. _Okay, if this kid gets expelled, I'm taking him on as a student in the Anything Goes. He may have to wait until next year to enter a Hero Course, but when he does he'll blow everyone away!_ He struggled not to laugh aloud as he pictured it...and failed to notice the eager burning of his battle aura.

"You see, Aizawa-sensei?" Midoriya asked as he clenched his fist...and his teeth through the pain. "I'm still standing!"

Ranma could see it, the way his Quirk was feeding into and strengthening his ki, responding to his desires to make him stronger than he actually was, even starting to deaden his pain awareness so he could function through it. "Yeah...he definitely belongs here," Ranma whispered to himself.

"In that case, he's your responsibility," Aizawa stated calmly right next to him, though Ranma could feel Aizawa's excitement even without looking at the shape of his ki. "You have until the end of the week to teach him to use his Quirk without damaging his body. If you succeed, you're the class TA. If he fails, you get his seat."

Ranma grinned eagerly. "If he's half as adaptable as I think he is, we'll leave you seeing stars."

Aizawa chuckled softly. "That's your Quirk kid, not mine."


	9. Chapter 9

Ranma walked up to Midoriya as the last of the assessment tests ended. "Not bad," he observed calmly. "That's a lot of power you've got there, though control needs some work."

"Yeah, I know..." Izuku responded, looking down. "I...I'm going to get expelled, aren't I?" he asked morosely.

"Well, even with that stellar throw, you did still score lowest overall for the Quirk Assessment," Ranma allowed, watching as the green haired boy sunk in on himself. "But not yet. You've still got one more chance."

Midoriya immediately perked up, but to Ranma's eyes a bit of his ki seemed almost to snarl. "R-really?" he gasped out excitedly.

"Yup," Ranma confirmed. "I take it you've been yo-yoed like that a lot lately?"

Midoriya winced. "Y-yeah..." he replied nervously.

"Well, that's the last I'm going to do it," Ranma explained calmly as he took Midoriya's hand, focusing his ki into the injured finger. To his pleasant surprise, the Quirk energy readily accepted the donated ki he poured in, repairing what damage there was to the finger rapidly. "We've each got a test here, you for your adaptability, me for my teaching ability. I've got..." He paused. He didn't want to push Izuku too far, but he could tell he worked frighteningly well under pressure, and his adaptability _was_ phenomenal... "...till the end of today to get you to learn to use your Quirk without damaging your body."

"What?" Izuku gasped in shock. "But...but I only just figured out how to use it and still be functional! And that only because Aizawa-sensei pointed out that a Quirk that broke me after one strike was useless in combat!"

"And less than a minute after being told that, you'd altered your technique to give you 12 potential blows instead of two," Ranma pointed out, counting out his ten fingers before flexing his arms. "That's a 500% increase in effectiveness in sixty seconds. By that arc, you should easily manage to get to a couple hundred blows without breaking. That's only about a 2000% increase from where you are, which should only take 4 minutes."

"S-somehow I feel like that math shouldn't work..." Izuku muttered worriedly.

"It's all about getting a feel for your power and learning to control it," Ranma explained readily. "I mean, I can see how that would be difficult for you, considering it's painful for me to look at-"

"Wait, what?" Izuku asked, confused.

"Oh, right," Ranma explained, pointing at his eyes. "My Quirk is called Life Sight. I can literally see the energy in living beings, both the ki of their life force and the exotic bio energy that powers Quirks. And looking directly at yours hurts. Like, staring at the sun hurt, there's so much in there."

"Oh, y-yeah, I guess there is..." Midoriya stammered nervously.

"So what's it feel like when you use it?" Ranma asked curiously. "You must have gotten a feel for it by now, right?"

"It feels like an egg exploding in a microwave," Izuku responded immediately. "I just need to learn how to...turn down the...wattage...?" His voice trailed off as he noticed Ranma's flat eyed glare.

"That...is without a doubt...the _stupidest_ metaphor anyone could come up with to describe an internal ability!" Ranma snapped out. "In that metaphor, your power is the microwave and _you're_ the egg? Can you even see where the buttons are to change the settings? And is it actually going to feel any different to the egg before it explodes? What idiot ran with _that_ metaphor?"

"It...it was my idea..." Izuku stammered awkwardly.

Ranma stared at Izuku for a time. "...well, I'm off to a _great_ start at teaching..."

"Here," Aizawa said suddenly, handing Ranma two cans of soda. "I had one of the students fetch you both a drink while you talked. That should help." With that said, he turned away.

Sighing, Ranma handed a can to Izuku. "Here, drink up," he said before reaching for his pull tab...only to hesitate. He saw sparking ki clinging to the can. He knew whose ki that was..."

Izuku let out a garbled gasp as soda exploded out of his can as soon as he pulled the tab. Ranma's eyes went flat as the cold liquid splashed over him as well, leaving Ranma-chan a soaking mess. "I'm so sorry!" Izuku spoke up quickly. "I didn't know it would spray out all over like that..." His voice stopped as he saw Ranma-chan shaking off soda. "Uh...do you have two Quirks?"

"No," Ranma-chan replied as he wrung out his hair. "I fell into the wrong spring in China. Long story." He shook his head. "Looks like it was Bakugou who fetched the sodas. Wonder why he'd shake them like that?"

"He...doesn't like me," Izuku allowed apologetically. "It probably amused him to make my drink explode all over me."

"Kinda like your Quirk does, huh?If it hadn't supercharged your finger, it probably would have exploded." Ranma-chan asked as he gathered some of the liquid clinging to him into his palm. Shaping a small sphere of ki, he shifted it to mimic Bakugou's Quirk - easy, since some of it was still clinging to the can - and heated the soda in his palm before dumping it on his head, changing back...even if he was left especially sticky. "Here, have my drink," he said. "I need to get cleaned up before soda looks good to drink."

"Bakugou probably shook this one too, since he didn't know which one I'd drink," Izuku observed as he carefully slipped one nail under the tab. "I just need to let the pressure out..." He pulled the tab up very slightly, and the excess fizzing began to hiss out from the slightest break to the seal. A bit of foam forced its way out, and Izuku quickly put his mouth over it to slurp it up...then pulled the can back, staring at it like he'd never seen it before. "Like my Quirk...let it out slowly...every cell..."

Ranma couldn't quite make out everything Izuku was saying, since he was muttering so quietly...but before his very eyes, the shape of his Quirk inside him shifted from an exploding sun to a sealed sphere. It then seemed to crack slightly as steam-like energy slowly poured out, filling every cell in Izuku's body as it went until the boy was visibly sparking with energy even to those who couldn't see Quirks. Thinking quickly, he leapt back and sent a Moko Takabisha right at Izuku's face.

Izuku reacted, swinging his hand up to backhand the sphere off into the distance, a brief shockwave - much smaller than when Izuku had thrown the ball, but of the same sort - echoed at the point of impact. There was no damage to Izuku's hand.

Ranma simply grinned. "What did I tell you? Four minutes."


	10. Chapter 10

Ranma watched as Aizawa sent Midoriya to the nurse's office to double check on his finger _and_ to make sure the new technique didn't damage his body. Apparently, after the Quirk Assessment Test, the first day of class was considered finished...but Ranma was far from finished with Izuku. The kid would probably consider the next week hell, but when it was finished he'd actually be able to handle the intensity this school seemed to expect. He might even be able to handle Bakugou's grudge against him, whatever caused it-"

"How?"

_Speak of the devil,_ Ranma thought to himself as he turned to where Bakugou had just slammed his fist into a tree, thankfully not exploding it. "How what, specifically?" he asked calmly.

"What's it to you?" Bakugou barked out angrily.

"Well, considering I'm the TA now, I'm pretty sure anything having this big an affect on a student is my business," Ranma pointed out impishly. "Thanks for shaking those sodas up so much, by the way. If you hadn't, I have no idea how I'd have gotten Izuku to visualize his Quirk so he could use it to fill his body instead of breaking it."

Bakugou stared at him, his jaw working like a landed shark. "What...how...why..."

Ranma sighed. It was plain to him Bakugou was enraged that Izuku was so strong, but at the same time part of him was glad he wouldn't be breaking himself to use it anymore. At least, that was what Ranma thought the relaxing at the core of Bakugou's ki meant. "I imagine you have questions," he observed calmly.

"...so many..." Bakugou managed to growl out. "Starting with how the hell that Quirkless loser has a Quirk?!"

"First, I'm pretty sure I should dock you points for language," Ranma pointed out with a smirk, "but to hell with that." Seeing that got a smirk on Bakugou's face, he continued. "As far as his Quirk...you know it wasn't until I came to this city that I knew I had a Quirk."

"How could you not know that?" Bakugou demanded angrily. "People with Quirks are missing the last knuckle of their little toe, it's obvious!"

"I'm not," Ranma pointed out. "And the difference my Quirk makes biologically is a single cell."

Bakugou froze. "Wait, what?"

Ranma pointed at his eye. "Baseline humans have two types of cells in their eyes to paint a picture of the world. I have three. That third, which lets me see energy, is the sum total of what my Quirk does. Everything else you've seen me do is the result of martial arts training and ki manipulation. While the pressure point techniques I used on a Villain with a Mutation Quirk that got me noticed wouldn't be available, anyone else who trained as hard as me could reach my level, Quirk or no." He crossed his arms. "And at 16, I'm considered a valuable enough asset in the Heroing community to be a Teacher's Assistant at UA High School in the Hero Course. So think about that next time you talk about 'Quirkless Losers'."

Bakugou stared at him, totally stupefied. "Quirks...can be missed?" he asked in shock.

Ranma shook his head, more than a little frustrated that was all Katsuki took away from that. He'd studied those books on public speaking because Momo had compared it to fighting with words instead of fists, the least he could do was appreciate the effort! "Yes, they apparently can, who knew?" Ranma observed, a bit of sarcasm in his voice. "As for Midoriya...his Quirk seems to be about storing energy within his body for release in a variety of forms, shaped by how he's able to visualize it. If he doesn't have the physical factors that denote Quirks...I imagine the reason there's so much power inside him is because believing himself to be Quirkless created a mental block that prevented him from releasing it, leading to it simply continuing to build up until it was more than his body could release safely...but an amount his Quirk thinks is the norm, and so it stays at that level."

"Then how come he can use it now?" Bakugou demanded angrily. "What broke the block?"

"Well, mental blocks like that are usually formed - and broken - by traumatic experiences," Ranma pointed out thoughtfully. "So...if something happened where his life was in danger, or where someone he cared about was in danger, and he rushed in without thought giving his all to the point he was on the brink of death, his Quirk might have burst through the mental block..." He paused as he noticed Bakugou's expression turn...almost tragic. "You know something."

"...not long after school let out last term, I got attacked by a slime Villain," Bakugou explained, his voice quiet. "Despite my efforts with my Quirk, I didn't have the skill to break free, and none of the Pro-Heroes who responded could get close enough to act. When Deku saw it...he just charged in, dodging the tentacles and trying to tear me out of the creature's grip, even as he started to get sucked in to be crushed. All Might saved us, with a punch that shattered a storm as well as pasting the slime against the wall, leaving us unharmed..."

Ranma nodded thoughtfully. "That'd do it," he concluded. "The mental block probably broke right as he thought he was going to die, and an explosive energy release from his own body shielded the two of you from the shockwave of All Might's strike. Given what I've read of All Might, he probably noticed it right away...and he's probably the only one who could have trained Izuku enough to not break his body just by tapping his power." He frowned, rubbing his chin. "Probably took all summer, given the signs of training in his ki..."

"Deku...unlocked his Quirk...to...save me?" Bakugou asked, his voice very quiet.

"Seems that way," Ranma observed. He then smirked. "Between that and the soda, I'd say he owes you big time that he's even attending UA."

Bakugou blinked at that, and then a grin split his face. "That's right, he does!" he crowed eagerly. "And if he thinks that means I'm going to go easy on him just because he tried to save me, he's got another thing coming!" He slammed a fist into his open palm as his Quirk sparked around him. "I'm going to make his schooling hell, do everything I can to chew him up and spit him out...cause if he can't handle the worst I can offer, he doesn't belong here, let alone on the front lines!"

Ranma chuckled quietly, shaking his head. _At least he's not screaming, 'Because of him, I've seen hell!'_ he mused in his mind somewhat nostalgically. He wondered where Ryoga was, anyway? ...eh, he'd turn up sooner or later.


	11. Chapter 11

Ranma smiled to himself as he hopped rooftops, following Midoriya home. He'd already talked this over with Aizawa, who'd agreed to his plan. If Bakugo was fully intent on putting Izuku through hell to toughen him up enough to handle the world, then Ranma was going to start his training immediately. It was easy enough to follow as Midoriya walked with the gravity girl and the rocket leg boy - Ochako and Iida, if he was TA he should really learn the other students' names - and when they boarded the train, Ranma simply rode on top of it. At one point, someone in authority started to say something about his behavior, but Ranma had just flashed the UA Teaching Credential Aizawa had given him when they'd discussed it, and he'd been waved on ahead.

Once he saw Midoriya get off at his own stop, Ranma leapt off the train and began following, waiting until Izuku was on his own without anyone in the area to see what would happen. That's when he acted. "Dodge!"

As Ranma came down in a diving kick, Midoriya dove out of the way in reaction to the shout. As he rolled to his feet, his body was already energizing with his Quirk, though it started to fade once he saw who it was. "Ranma? What was that-"

"Why are you letting down your guard?" Ranma demanded as he charged forward and started throwing punch and kick combinations. To his credit, Midoriya reacted quickly, his Quirk already energizing his body to evade what blows he could and block those he couldn't.

"What is this about?" Midoriya demanded as he continued to evade.

"You think I was only going to dedicate four minutes to toughening you up?" Ranma countered as he went for a footsweep, pleased to see Midoriya leap over it and back to get some distance. "Looks like you've got _maybe_ 2% of your Quirk flowing through you right now. That's boosting you two, maybe three times normal as well as letting you interact with energy based attacks physically. But that's not going to be enough to survive _class_, let alone tests and the like. And if you think you can handle the rest of the world on that, you've got another thing coming!"

"Oh, so this is training!" Midoriya responded energetically as he moved back into combat range. "Why didn't you say so?" He leaned back out of the way of another of Ranma's blows.

"Because a villain isn't going to warn you when he's going to attack," Ranma explained easily as he lowered his voice, now going to conversational as Midoriya finally started striking back. "And if they do, you need to be _really_ worried, because they're either insane or really powerful. Also, don't swing so wide, you leave yourself wide open and you aren't being strengthened enough defensively to rely on that to protect you." To demonstrate, he swung his next blow inside Midoriya's punch, slamming his fist into the green haired boy's chin.

Midoriya staggered back, rubbing his chin as he felt the blow. "I see what you mean. Could have lost a tooth there."

"And you would have if I hadn't pulled that punch so much," Ranma added. He lunged in to fight again.

Midoriya held off on attacking for a time, staying defensive and watching Ranma's attacks. When he next started fighting back, he performed a respectable imitation of Ranma's combat style, though only with his arms.

"Not bad, but your Quirk is full body." To demonstrate, Ranma lashed out and caught Izuku on the inner thigh with the point of his foot, breaking his stance before delivering a roundhouse kick to his hip to knock him down. "So use your whole body."

"R-right," Izuku stammered before leaping back to his feet, idly rubbing the now forming bruises. "I take it those blows were pulled as well?"

"Quite a bit," Ranma confirmed. "Until you're able to channel..." He looked closely at Midoriya. "...I'd say, 25% of your power consistently, you can't rely on tanking blows, and your focus has to be on dodging. Even when you have that much strength, you should really dodge unless you're acting as a shield. For that matter, you're kinda puny to act as a shield as you are."

"Right, speed and evasion," Midoriya agreed, pulling out a notebook and jotting a few things down.

Ranma tilted his head as he read the cover on the notebook. "Pro-Hero notes, huh?" he asked curiously. "Volume 13? Been taking notes for a while, huh?"

"Y-yeah!" Midoriya agreed happily. "I've always tried to learn all I could about Pro-Heroes. Back when I was Quirkless, I thought it might give me a way to become a Pro-Hero even without a Quirk." He then tensed, as though he said something he shouldn't.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "I feel like there's something there I should know, but that you shouldn't tell me," Ranma observed mildly. "So unless and until it becomes important, I'll stick with the explanation I gave Bakugo about your Quirk."

"Oh?" Midoriya asked hopefully. "What's that?"

"That your Quirk was missed, and was based in storing energy," Ranma explained quickly. "And because you were convinced you were Quirkless, a mental block prevented you from releasing the energy, leaving it building up to levels beyond what you could safely use until it got released fighting that slime thing, and that All Might probably trained you so you didn't explode every time you tried to use it."

"Uh, yes, yes! That's exactly right!" Midoriya gasped out, his eyes wide, sweat covering his face, and an unnatural grin on his face adding to the impression of his unusually high pitched voice. "It's amazing that you figured that out! You're really smart!"

"And you're a terrible liar, so I suggest you practice the explanation in the mirror until you don't get like this giving it," Ranma countered sardonically.

Midoriya hung his head in shame. "Yeah..."

"I will be talking to All Might about his approach, though," Ranma pointed out thoughtfully. "I mean, he's supposed to be a teacher, but his idea of strengthening you for a Quirk like this involves _zero_ combat training before sending you to a school where your _combat_ abilities are going to be the most important thing you're tested on? What was he thinking? He didn't even teach you how to properly throw a punch!"

"...huh, that's right..." Midoriya mused thoughtfully. "Then again, there wasn't exactly much time-"

"And given the nature of All Might's Quirk, I wouldn't be surprised if _he's_ never had proper combat training, either," Ranma mused thoughtfully. "Something he _really_ should have corrected _before_ he accepted a teaching position." He paused as he heard a spurt of some sort of liquid behind him and saw Midoriya tensing up. "He's right behind me and just did a spit-take, didn't he?"

"O-of course not!" Midoriya stammered as he once more demonstrated how terrible he was at lying. "I mean, he really stands out so you'd notice if he was there, right?"

"His 'secret identity' form looks completely different and _that's_ what's some distance behind me having watched the whole fight?" Ranma clarified with a smirk.

"Why am I so terrible at lying?" Midoriya gasped out in despair.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, young Midoriya!" someone called some distance behind Ranma.

"Hey!" Ranma shouted over his shoulder. "My class right now! No back seat teaching!"

"Sorry," the voice called back somewhat muted.

"Hey!" Midoriya complained. "You can't talk to All Might like that!"

"Then stop me!" Ranma snapped back cockily. Turning around, he located the source of bio-energy - hidden around the corner - and called out, "Your father was a hamster, and your mother smelt of elderberries!"

"I love that movie!" the voice called back.

"Then Midoriya should stop stalling, or I shall taunt you a second time!" Ranma called back, only for his eyes to widen as he felt a build-up behind him. Unable to dodge in time, he triggered the Splitting Cat Hairs technique, letting him leave a ki-animated image of himself behind to take the rather impressive blow, sending the image flying down the street to disperse against a lamppost. He then stepped up to examine Midoriya's arm. "Hmm...5% in the blow, and no internal damage. Not bad." He then turned to the voice. "We should do this again sometime, it motivates Midoriya!"

"Next time I'll bring swords so we can do it properly!" the voice called back.

"Uhh..." Midoriya began in confusion.

"He's fun," Ranma observed as the source of the voice left. "I see why you look up to him so much. He's a good example."

"I don't know what's going on anymore..." Midoriya complained.

"You just learned a new aspect of your idol as a human being, that's all," Ranma explained. "And he's apparently a total dork. Given how bombastic he is in the field, that makes perfect sense."

Midoriya stared at Ranma for a time. "That's...oddly comforting."

"Good to hear!" Ranma replied, smacking Midoriya on the back and making him stagger. "Your homework is to maintain 1-2% of your Quirk energy through your body for as long as you can without strain. Your next assignment will come when you can maintain it while you sleep, and you can expect me to randomly engage you in combat throughout that time."

"...joy..." Midoriya whimpered.


	12. Chapter 12

Ranma was pleased to see Izuku's determination starting the next day. On an impulse, he'd headed out to follow him to school, and got a double surprise. First, Izuku stepped out of his house maintaining 1.5% throughout his entire body, being very careful as he handled the doorknob...but still leaving a fingerprint impression in it as he closed the door.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry Mom!" he freaked as he saw that...and yet despite the freakout, his focus on maintaining the power did not waver.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," a warm voice assured from inside. "As long as it still turns, we'll leave it as a learning exercise. And when it stops working, I'll frame it as your first at-home Quirk use! I'm so proud of you!"

"T-thanks Mom," Izuku replied awkwardly as he turned to go.

Ranma was about to follow, until he saw Bakugou following Izuku, plainly planning mischief. Calmly, Ranma jotted a quick note down, rolled it around a rock, and flicked it at Bakugou's nose. As it hit, the explosive boy immediately started cursing, which set Izuku to running. Given the energy flow upped to two percent, it looked like he assumed Bakugou was planning to jump him or something. However, he was pretty sure the note stating "Save it for school" would stop that from happening off campus where it would put Bakugou in legal trouble.

As they reached class and everyone gathered, Aizawa had one announcement before the regular classes began. "A large focus in the Hero Courses will be your combat ability," he explained calmly as the class listened. "However, some of you are woefully underprepared in that regard, which is a serious issue. As such, I've informed your teachers that I've authorized my TA to engage in surprise live combat exercises during and between class time in order to ensure those who have further to go in learning to fight - with or without their Quirks - get better at it rapidly. This starts today."

"Sensei," Ranma spoke up immediately. "Permission to deputize specific students to assist once they've demonstrated sufficient combat ability without informing the students who exactly has been deputized?"

"Granted," Aizawa responded immediately, sending a pall of fear and doom over most of the class.

The absolutely vicious grin that put Bakugou at his worst to shame did nothing to lift the mood.

* * *

The morning classes were general study courses, which Ranma only paid attention to until he was certain he'd already covered the material in his own studies. At that point, he paid attention to the students, seeing who would be best to start working on. To his surprise, one of the students had already adjusted to the idea of surprise attacks. A quick glance at the seating chart told him that the kid with the multi-arm Quirk was Mezo Shoji. He could reshape his six arms to function in a number of ways, and had turned two of the ends into eyes on stalks and two into ears on stalks, all constantly swiveling in anticipation of an attack as he used the eyes and ears on his head to focus on class and hands on his last two arms to take notes.

_Once I boost his combat training, I'll deputize him,_ Ranma thought to himself. _He'd do good at surprise attacks, since you might not realize he's attacking until you've been hit._

He also noticed that Momo had shaped a metal pencil cover for Izuku, as without it he was constantly breaking his as he struggled to grip it gently with 1.5% power activation. The metal imprinted, but it held, letting him learn to control it better. Ranma sent a nod and a smile Momo's way as he saw that, which got an answering smile in return.

At first Ranma considered lunch as a perfect time for surprise attacks...until he tried the food made by Cook Hero Lunch Rush, who ran the cafeteria. He immediately decided that the only thing _he_ would be doing during lunch was eating.

After lunch on that first day was Hero Basic Training, and the teacher got Izuku very excited.

"I am Here!...coming through the door like a hero!" declared the impossibly buff blonde man as he entered, his flashy red, white, and blue costume fitting him like a second skin.

Even as the other students began squealing in excitement over this being 'All Might', Ranma's eyes widened and narrowed almost immediately. Looking at the man's Quirk energy, Ranma saw three things that immediately concerned him. First, it seemed to behave the same way Midoriya's did, though under a great deal more control, as though they somehow had the same Quirk. Second, All Might's was...dimmer somehow. There was still a great deal of power there, but where looking at Izuku was like staring into a newborn sun, All Might was more like a dying sun, valiantly struggling not to collapse in on itself.

Third and most worrisome, however, was the black gap in both ki and quirk energy on the lower-left side of his abdomen, as though someone had ripped out part of his ki pathways and filled the hole with tar to guarantee it would never heal. It was all Ranma could do not to throw up as he stared at it...and the more he looked the harder it got. The black 'hole' seemed to be trying to devour more and more of All Might's ki and Quirk, like a parasite. _Why the hell hasn't that been treated?_ Ranma thought insistently as he stared. _And why the hell is he still active?_

He watched as All Might grandstanded about how important the 'Battle Training' they would be doing that day was. Then again, Grandstanding didn't really feel like the right term. Yes, he was definitely posturing, posing, and overall presenting himself like a badass...but it didn't seem to be about self-gratification. As Ranma watched, he saw how All Might's ki shaped itself around the hole, fighting to keep it contained as his Quirk sustained his body.

_He's...he's literally burning himself out to try and get the students ready without letting them be afraid,_ Ranma thought as he watched, only half listening. _And he has to be in agony from what it's doing to him, and his Quirk isn't deadening his sense of pain...but he hasn't stopped smiling..._

As the cubicles opened with everyone's 'hero costumes', All Might walked up to Ranma. "I noticed you hadn't submitted a request for a costume design yourself, and what had been submitted about your Quirk and abilities left the designers without a clear idea what to do. So..." He set a silver suitcase down on Ranma's desk. "As a temporary measure until you choose a design for yourself, I submitted a possible practice costume!"

Ranma tried not to roll his eyes as some of the students started getting envious. Popping the case open, he saw a pale blue bodysuit, one that seemed to be somewhere between the color of a clear sky and that of his battle aura. When he touched it, he felt his ki flow into it, and saw how the fiber was making his gaze slide off of it.

"With everything said about your power, you sounded like a classic ninja!" All Might declared eagerly. "So I requested a light-reactive material in a pale blue that would work with the stealth techniques you have!"

Raising an eyebrow, Ranma lifted the suit out of the case and held the sleeve under his desk. In the shadow, the cloth seemed to fade in color, losing luster and becoming dimmer as it blended in better with the shadows. He whistled in appreciation. "How's this stuff even work?" he asked eagerly.

"No idea!" All Might replied immediately. "But that's why those who enroll in and graduate from the Support Courses are so important! They're the ones with those answers!"

Ranma chuckled at that as he lifted out a pair of goggles, the exact shade of black as his hair. Holding them up to his eyes, he jerked back in surprise. Putting them back, he saw the chemical composition of the suitcase spelled out on the inside of the goggles' lenses without blocking his vision. Turning, he saw the same with every other inanimate object he looked at.

"And the goggles are based off EMT's," All Might explained. "His Quirk doesn't let him analyze chemical composition automatically, so he uses that to help deal with inorganic compounds affecting his patients. I thought it might also compliment your Quirk well!"

Ranma couldn't stop the grin as he performed a Quick Change into the costume. Dressed in faded blue from chin to toe, he was every inch the traditional icon of ninjitsu as it was originally practiced. The goggles blended so well with his hair it looked like part of a mask, and the top of the outfit could be pulled up to cover his chin...where he discovered it acted as an air filter for most known aerosol agents. "I'm impressed," Ranma mused as he looked himself over. "All it's missing is ear protection in case of Sonic attacks."

"Figuring out how to do that while still allowing you to hear normally is a work in progress!" All Might declared deprecatingly. "But I'm glad to hear we're on the same wavelength for what will do you good! For now...everyone suit up, and head to Training Ground Beta!"

* * *

As Ranma expected, it took some time for the students to get suited up, and he was able to catch up to All Might at Training Ground Beta before anyone else got there. As he didn't know how much time he had, he decided not to waste any. "How come no one's treated this?" he demanded, putting his hand gently on the hole in All Might's ki and feeling the wound beneath.

Despite the gentleness, All Might visibly winced at the contact. "Should have known you'd see that," All Might groaned, still managing to smile. "The reason no one's treated it is because no one can. The best healer Quirk in the world is Recovery Girl, and she can only accelerate natural healing. That wound...won't heal naturally."

"Of course it won't," Ranma grumbled irritably. "Not with the hostile ki in there trying to eat you alive. At least, that's the only thing I can think of to describe it..."

"Wait, are you saying the one who wounded me left something of himself inside to keep me from healing?" All Might asked in surprise.

"And to continuously weaken you," Ranma confirmed. "Rather sick looking at that."

All Might was silent for a time. "You know about ki manipulation," he finally said softly. "Could...you remove it?"

Ranma's eyes widened in surprise at the request. "I'd want to see Recovery Girl in action so I could understand how her Quirk interacts with a person's ki to accelerate normal healing," he replied thoughtfully. "But after that..." He focused as best he could on the void, determined to understand it...to beat it. "I would want to try."

"We'll talk more later," All Might said quickly as they heard the other students approaching. Ranma immediately stepped back. He had a lot to think about.


	13. Chapter 13

Once everyone had arrived and were visible in their costumes, All Might began explaining the day's lesson. Having already seen the lesson plan, Ranma knew that they would be engaging in 'anti-terrorist exercises' as he thought of them. Teams would play 'Hero' and 'Villain' using a building as the battleground, the Villains guarding a 'bomb' until it 'went off' while the Heroes attempted to neutralize the Villains and 'bomb' by containment or seizing control. While All Might explained that, Ranma looked over everyone's costumes.

He was rather surprised to see that most of them, while flashy or sometimes impractical, seemed to amplify their Quirk energy in some way, shape, or form. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the fact most of them were skin-tight. While the material certainly seemed to stretch enough that it wouldn't be a question of mobility, it seemed to be causing other issues if Izuku's reaction to Uraraka - the anti-gravity girl - and her own behavior were anything to go by. The grape-head's perverted reaction was also concerning.

Then again, he could hardly blame the boy considering how much skin Momo's costume showed off. While she had gone with a brace on the back of her neck to guard against the Pressure Point he'd warned her about, she'd practically left the entire rest of her body exposed, to the point he was certain her outfit was taped or glued on to keep from rendering her indecent with the slightest movement. Though that was nothing compared to the girl whose Quirk glowed in her very skin. All she was wearing was gloves and shoes! What the hell kind of Quirk could she have that _that_ was okay? There at least seemed to be the same decency laws as there had been in Nerima, and it wasn't like she had a body that _couldn't_ wear clothes, she'd been in uniform before. He wasn't sure _why_ All Might wasn't calling her on it, but he was going to say _something_ if he got the chance.

Putting it from his mind, Ranma watched calmly as the teams of two were decided by lots, ten teams of two labeled teams A through J. He frowned as he noticed he hadn't been sorted in at all. "Sir, am I not taking part in this exercise?" he asked curiously.

"Better than that!" All Might declared excitedly as he randomly divided the eight spheres labeled A through J into two boxes labeled 'Hero' and 'Villain'. "Your combat skills based on testing put you weeks ahead of these lessons, if not months! And we will be taking advantage of that!" He pulled out two more spheres, both labeled 'Shinobi'. "That's why you'll be filed into both boxes, to face a team of two heroes _and_ a team of two villains! Whoever faces you will have a special challenge!"

Ranma smiled under his mask, idly performing a relaxing sequence of hand motions he'd learned from a scroll on ninjitsu his father had stolen once. "That will be...interesting," he murmured thoughtfully.

What excitement he had faded as he saw the first matchup. Izuku and Uraraka vs Bakugo and Iida. That was going to be...interesting. _Let's see how much Izuku's improved..._

* * *

Ranma watched calmly from the observation room with everyone else as the 'battle' began. Izuku and Uraraka immediately moved to an upper floor window to enter, at which point Izuku immediately stopped channeling his Quirk through his body. At first, Ranma was confused, but then remembered how his Quirk emitted some visible light while being actively tapped. With the lights off inside the building and most of the windows sealed and blackout, glowing in the darkness would not be to his advantage. Then again, Uraraka's bright pink wouldn't help there.

Before they made it more than a few meters, however, his precautions became pointless as Bakugo lunged out, delivering an explosive blow that missed the pair by inches as Izuku lit up and tackled Uraraka to the ground. At a quick signal, Izuku sent Uraraka to pursue the bomb while he faced Bakugo.

To Ranma's surprise, Izuku was able to anticipate most of Bakugo's physical attack strategies, but was caught off guard whenever Bakugo used his Quirk for movement instead of attack. On Bakugo's side, he was quite vicious in attacks against Izuku, but was caught completely off guard on defense when Izuku counterattacked. However, after Izuku's first successful blow, he stopped trying to hit Bakugo...something Bakugo rapidly took advantage of.

Ranma frowned as he watched. As good as Izuku had done in training, he plainly had a hard time bringing himself to willingly hurt other people, especially those he considered his friends. That would cause problems down the line, and Ranma starting planning the best way to break Izuku of that mindset.

It wasn't long before Bakugo caught on to Izuku's hesitation, and he immediately began to take advantage of it...only for Izuku to take to his heels, leading Bakugo around in circles on that floor. _Hmm, he seems good at manipulating emotional foes,_ Ranma mused thoughtfully. _I'll see if I can't demonstrate the Hiryu Shoten Ha in battle at some point. If Izuku's able to figure out how it works, I'll teach it to him. It would fit right in with what he's developed into his fighting style. He's definitely more predictive and reactionary than aggressive. Good for conserving energy._

A quick glance at the other camera showed Iida hamming it up as a villain, having removed every possible object in the room that Uraraka might use as a weapon against him, plainly having anticipated Uraraka going straight for the bomb while Izuku distracted Bakugo once Bakugo went off on his own. Seeing nothing there that might be worth intervention, Ranma turned his attention back to Izuku and Bakugo's fight.

At that moment, Bakugo tracked down Izuku...and demonstrated the purpose of the massive grenade-shaped gauntlets he'd been wearing as he prepared to pull the pin. As All Might reached for a microphone to call Bakugo off, Ranma lifted his hand to stop him. "Wait for it," he said calmly as he watched the energy race through Izuku's body.

As All Might turned to him in shock, Izuku rushed towards Bakugo...who pulled the pin almost in surprise. As the massive blast rocketed out, Izuku forced extra energy into his right leg, slid forward, and kicked upward. The massive sphere of explosive energy launched upward like a soccer ball, blasting through the ceiling and erupting into the next floor between Uraraka and Iida before blasting out the wall. Uraraka reacted instantly, lunging forward and floating herself through the sudden debris field and sending several chunks at Iida before latching onto the bomb.

As All Might announced the Heroes' victory, Izuku clutched at his right foot, part of his costume burned away and serious bruising and minor burns on his foot. "He should be fine until the end of the exercise, as long as he keeps his leg in cool running water," Ranma observed before All Might could order Izuku to the infirmary. "I want to be there when Recovery Girl heals him...if he thinks he can wait that long."

All Might stared at Ranma for a time, then nodded. "I will ask him."


	14. Chapter 14

Ranma smiled as Izuku was wheeled into the observation area, his injured foot immersed in a bucket of constantly recirculating water to ease the burns. "You sure you're okay?" Ranma asked carefully.

"I'm sure," Izuku responded immediately, though winced when he accidentally moved his leg. "It hurts, but nowhere near as much as my finger did before you fixed it. And the sensations are still too strong for me to be in shock, so as long as I take careful care, I should be fine until the end of class."

Ranma nodded calmly. "Alright. Just sit tight until everything's over-"

"Next up is Team B will be our heroes, and Ranma is the villain!" All Might announced.

"Guess that's my cue," Ranma replied,watching as the boy with the multiple arms and the one whose ki and Quirk were split down the middle move to positions. "I'll be right back."

* * *

Ranma stood next to the bomb in the middle of the 4th floor of the six story building, equidistant from stairs and windows all around. As soon as he heard the exercise begin, however, he used Splitting Cat Hairs to hide one image of himself in Umisenken, making his way carefully down the building to where the other two were entering. He hadn't mastered these techniques to this extent before coming to this city, but the extra learning Momo had opened his mind to had given him a more full understanding of the workings of his own ki, and he wanted to try several different thins.

As he moved down, he saw the two just inside the building, the multi-armed boy having his limbs spread with four ears, webbing between his limbs shaping what looked like a satellite dish. Watching the flow of energy, he realized the boy had shaped his quirk to give him rudimentary echolocation to scout out.

"He's next to the bomb, on the fourth floor," the boy told his companion. "But...there are odd distortions all over. I think he might have laid traps."

"He works fast then," the other boy observed calmly. "We shouldn't take chances. For your own safety, you should step out of the building." Walking over, he placed his hand against the wall...and ice spread from his hand and foot on that side.

_Ice in that side, huh?_ Ranma observed as he lightly shifted himself off the wall about to be iced to gently cling to the ice with nary a sound, the palms of his outfit clinging as surely as if they had spikes to dig in but without the visible indents or sound. _Given how diametrically opposed his other side is, it's probably fire. I wonder if I could make use of that..._ His other self lightly hopped off the floor before the ice spread, landing gently on the ice as it finished forming.

"It didn't work, Todoroki," the multi-armed boy called out. "He evaded the ice easily, and it doesn't seem to be slowing him down at all."

"I expected that, Shoji," Todoroki observed calmly. "However, this will still provide an advantage. Now we should-"

"Watch out!" Shoji shouted out, reaching in to jerk Todoroki back just before the frozen chunk of ceiling Ranma had separated out could land on his head.

Todoroki looked up in concern. "So he did set traps...we'll need to be extra careful as we move through. We've no idea what he placed in our way."

Ranma smiled as he made his way back to where he left himself, altering just enough of the building so the cold and ice would create enough pitfalls, dead falls, and other obstacles that they would have to be cautious. That would give him time...and once they stopped being cautious, he'd make his real move.

While he waited, he looked over how the ice actually affected the room, examining the structure for strong and weak points. Seeing an advantage, he carefully began drawing a line in a circle around the weapon.

Before long, the two arrived on the floor. Ranma grinned as they arrived. "Took you long enough," he observed calmly. "You're almost out of time."

"Then we'll make this quick," Todoroki stated, unleashing a wave of ice at Ranma.

Smirking, Ranma stomped the floor beneath him and the circle he'd cut dropped to the floor below, taking him and the bomb with him.

"Dammit!" Todoroki snapped, lunging forward to catch him.

"Wait!" Shoji called out as he rushed forward. "It's a-"

Ranma slipped out of Umisenken and yanked hard on the capture tape he'd lifted from where Uraraka and Izuku had dropped theirs during their exercise, catching the pair in the formerly invisible net and binding them tight. "Good luck getting out of that in time," Ranma observed calmly.

"And the winner is Ranma!" All Might's voice declared over the speakers.

"Not a bad strategy freezing the building," Ranma told Todoroki, "but it put your partner at a disadvantage. If you really wanted to take full advantage, what you should have done was continuously freeze and thaw the lower floors to fill the building with a chilly mist to block vision, especially since you knew my Quirk was vision based."

Todoroki looked away, not responding.

Sighing, Ranma turned to Shoji. "That sonar trick with your limbs was impressive, and you did a good job keeping track of your partner and dangers. Next time, though, make sure you look after yourself as well."

"Understood," Shoji responded calmly as Ranma unbound them.

"Next battle, Ranma as Hero vs Team I as the Villains!" All Might called out

"Two in a row, huh?" Ranma mused in surprise, noticing the boy with the wierd tail and the glowing girl moving to their positions at a building. "A challenge. ...got an issue to address here..."

* * *

Ranma calmly walked over to the building where his 'Villain' opponents were based. Taking a deep breath, he twisted his goggles slightly. As he had expected, it had other visual modes that granted a number of advantages. In this particular case, X-Ray vision that let him spot where in the building the two were. He could see the boy with the tail moving towards the bottom, plainly intending to meet him in combat. The glowing girl was higher up the building.

Smirking, Ranma switched the goggles back to normal vision. They'd assumed from his actions as a Villain that he would be cautious and try to avoid conflict, and wanted to bring the conflict to him. Their mistake. Walking around the building, he began triangle jumping up the alley until he could dive into a window practically on top of the glowing girl. She let out a shriek of surprise as he blurred forward, using the Chestnut Fist technique along with the Capture Tape to quickly have her bound up in Shibari style, the better to make his point. "Now, perhaps you could explain why you thought it was a good idea to go into battle stark naked?" he asked calmly. "I mean, if your Quirk has something to do with that, I'm sure there's better ways to be distracting without putting yourself in danger."

"What's the big deal?" the girl demanded petulantly. "It's not like there's anything to see, anyway..."

Raising an eyebrow, Ranma let his eyes trail down and then back up. "Okay, either you have some _serious_ self-image issues that need more help than I can give, or there's something about your Quirk I'm not getting-"

"Wait, you can _see me?_" she gasped out in surprise, eyes going wide.

Ranma blinked in surprise. "Wait...you're invisible?" He lunged back, worried how she might react. He'd dealt with being accused of being a 'pervert' enough back in Nerima that he didn't want that happening now-

"Does my hair look okay?" the girl asked eagerly, tilting her head back and forth. "I mean, I try to style it based on what's popular, but I can't really see if I get it right-"

"You're tied up naked in bondage in front of someone who can _see_ you, and your first question is about your _haircut_?" Ranma squeaked out, struggling to get control of himself. "Is that _really_ what you should be thinking about right now?"

"Oh, you're right," she replied, nodding in agreement. She then leaned back. "Did I get all my pubes? I mean, I try to shave by feel, but I'm never sure how well that works-"

"_What the hell is wrong with you?!_" Ranma shrieked out, backing away from her...only to back into the bomb.

"Uhh...the Heroes win?" All Might offered over the speakers somewhat awkwardly.


	15. Chapter 15

Ranma sat back in the corner of the observation room, not watching the remaining fights as he kept his head in his hands. He had no idea how he was supposed to handle this, or even _how_ he was going to handle it. Even as he tried to think it through, his mind rushed to escape it as he focused on the healing Izuku would need and what he could learn regarding helping All Might from that. A glance at Izuku showed him looking worriedly his way.

_Guess he's the sort to worry about everyone,_ Ranma mused silently. _Yeesh, why did this have to happen?_ For some reason, Momo seemed to be a bit cold towards him, having refused to meet his eyes or say anything after he came back in from the exercise. Did she assume he was a pervert now? That would fit with past experience, but didn't really fit with Momo as far as he knew...

"Gah!" he mumbled under his breath. "I read all those books on social behavior to 'win' in conversations. How come none of them had anything to say about dealing with someone who was invisible? That's probably one of the most potentially useful powers out there, and the books were written post Quirks! Surely there's been enough Invisibility Quirks that _someone_ came up with the proper etiquette!"

"Actually...no they didn't."

Blinking, Ranma turned to see who spoke. It was the glowing girl again...wrapped up in All Might's cape? "Uh..." Ranma began uncertainly.

"I'm actually the first person with a full body invisibility Quirk since the onset of Quirks," she explained calmly. "I know, I looked. The closest were mental Quirks that allowed those who had them to be unnoticed or ignored in some way, shape or form." She hesitated, a rather exaggerated pensive frown on her face. "Can...can we talk?" she asked nervously.

Ranma sighed ruefully. "Sure. Better to get this out than let it fester, right?" As she took a seat next to him - awkwardly arranging the cape she had wrapped around her in an attempt to maintain decency - he continued. "I don't think I caught your name."

"Toru Hagakure," she introduced herself warmly, slipping her arm out from under the cape to offer her gloved hand to shake. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Ranma agreed awkwardly as he shook her hand. "Sorry about...earlier. I...didn't know you were invisible."

"Yeah, I caught that," Toru replied with a giggle, her expression instantly shifting to greatly amused, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "I didn't know you could see me, either. Guess...you've gotten quite an eyeful since I came out for this exercise."

"Y-yeah..." Ranma admitted nervously, though he was a bit reassured that her expression didn't seem to show embarrassment, even if the way she was shifting under the cape seemed to imply it. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess it _does_ explain why you can go into battle naked...however unsafe it might be."

"Unsafe?" she asked in confusion, tilting her head in a rather adorable manner.

"What if I'd gone in through a closed window instead of an open one, and you were showered with broken glass?" he explained logically. "You could have gotten cut up pretty bad, and then be marked out by your blood."

"Actually, my blood's invisible too," Toru pointed out helpfully. "And my muscles...and bones...and pretty much everything."

Ranma blinked. "Okay...based on how the energy that makes that happen runs through you I can see that...but how do you know that?"

"My dentist," Toru explained with a chuckle. "X-Rays don't work on me. Literally any light passes right through me. That would only work if it was every cell."

"Though it must work by bending the light in some way, otherwise we'd see the food you ate while it digested," Ranma pointed out with a smirk.

"Oh god, that would be _so_ embarrassing, not to mention gross!" Toru gasped out with a comical expression of disgust on her face. "It wouldn't matter if I chewed with my mouth closed, you'd still see me masticating!"

"And then when it went down to be digested," Ranma pointed out with a smirk...oddly satisfied to see Mineta turning a trifle green from where he was listening.

"And I'd never be able to face anyone if you could see it forming to go out the other end!" Toru groaned out, her tone of voice mortified...although her expression made it seem like she was struggling not to laugh.

Ranma blinked, frowning. "Not to be gross or perverse, but..._is_ that invisible? Cause otherwise it must make things really weird at the sewage treatment facility."

Toru blinked thoughtfully. "You know, I never thought to actually look," she admitted. "I've been 'nothing to see' for my entire life, so seeing anything related to myself was never...well, you know." She lowered her gaze, a dismayed frown on her face.

Ranma frowned thoughtfully. That was...not something he knew how to deal with, but he found he wanted to reassure her _somehow_. He looked her over...and his eyes fell on her hair. "So...what style were you going for?" he asked curiously, reaching up and idly untangling the mess it was.

"Oh!" Toru gasped in surprise, but then relaxed, leaning back into his ministrations. "Umm...well...a...French Braid?" she offered nervously.

Ranma blinked at that. Her hair had been bound up in three different twists that were badly tied. Smirking, he leaned in closer, tilting his ear towards her mouth.

As her face showed mortification, she murmured quietly, "...twin pigtails..."

"Good choice," Ranma murmured quietly enough only she could hear as he straightened out her hair and began to braid it. "The cute look really suits you."

"You...you think I'm cute?" Toru asked, her voice almost squeaking as her ki focused in her cheeks, showing Ranma that despite her invisible body being unable to do so visibly she was blushing brightly.

"Absolutely," Ranma confirmed without really thinking about it, binding the hair together in the twin pigtails. Taking hold of a few strands from each tail, he looped them together near the tips to hold the braids together so they wouldn't unwind, but also wouldn't have a visible sign she was in a twintail style. "There you go," he offered, shifting back. "At least I can help you with that hair." He then blushed brightly, not having meant to bring up what else she'd asked him to check.

"Yeah...sorry about being so forward like that earlier," Toru apologized as she gently ran her fingertips along her braids in delight. "I'm not normally...well, yeah," she explained awkwardly. "It's just, well...someone actually being able to see me..."

"And running around naked isn't forward?" Ranma asked curiously.

"Well, like I said, no one could see me," Toru replied easily. "Whether I'm dressed or I'm naked...I'm still just me. It's not like my state of dress makes a difference in being seen. If anything, I actually feel safer, more anonymous, naked than dressed..." She smiled shyly. "Well, until now."

Ranma shrugged. "I've learned to be ready to fight no matter what my state, so I can understand that. But if that's so, why the cape now?"

"Well, my being naked was making _you_ uncomfortable, and I didn't think that would help with this conversation," Toru explained readily. "And, well...dressed or undressed is fine, but dressing or undressing...well, that's something else. I feel...more vulnerable then, you know?"

Ranma thought about that for a bit. "I...I suppose I can understand what you're saying, even if I don't really grasp it."

"It's..." Toru hesitated, rubbing her chin. "It's more...intimate, you know? And if someone's watching me dress or undress, it would be because I want them to see that...and someone taking that privilege without permission..."

"That I can understand," Ranma explained readily. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. And...I'll try not to focus too much on your state of dress while you're running around. That's just you, right?"

Toru's smile seemed almost to beam all on its own. "Thanks!" She hopped to her feet. "Anyway, I should get back to checking out the other fights...and give All Might back his cape." Slowly, almost but not quite casually, she slipped the cape off.

Ranma's eyes widened, his cheeks pinking. "Umm...didn't you just say with dressing and undressing..."

Toru smirked wickedly at him, the sparkle in her eyes showing just how glad she was he could see her expression. "I did, didn't I?" she purred playfully before skipping off to the others, giving All Might back his cape.

Groaning, Ranma slumped back against the wall. _Great...now I've got __**another**__ girl flirting with me,_ he thought silently. _At least she isn't being aggressive about it. ...but why the heck does Momo look even __**more**__ upset than before?_


	16. Chapter 16

Ranma groaned ruefully as he slowly wheeled Izuku to the Nurse's Office. While watching the rest of the exercises had been enlightening as far as the abilities of the other students, it did nothing to help get his mind off the problems that had cropped up.

"Something wrong?" Izuku asked worriedly.

"Nothing that can be solved," Ranma responded readily, a sad smile on his face. He should have known Izuku would notice his distress and want to do something about it. Hopefully he wouldn't pry further-

"How do you know?" Izuku asked hopefully. "An alternative perspective might give you ideas you wouldn't come up with on your own!"

"It's girl trouble, Izuku," Ranma answered ruefully. "I don't think there _is_ a solution there."

"Oh..." Izuku replied awkwardly. "Yeah, I...wouldn't know anything about that..."

Ranma couldn't stop the frown that crossed his face. Being 'Quirkless' had obviously put Izuku at the bottom of the social ladder, despite his kind heart and eager to help nature. "Then I guess we're both in the deep end, since it's pretty obvious by the way Uraraka's acting around you that you're _going_ to have girl trouble, assuming you don't already."

"What?" Izuku gasped out frenetically, waving his hands defensively with his eyes wide and panicked. "I-It's not like that! We're just friends! Right, we met here, I saved her, and we get along well! T-there's no way an adorable hot girl like that would be interested in me oh god I'm saying that out loud aren't I what am I gonna do if rumors start oh god why can't I-"

Ranma clapped his hand over Izuku's mouth. "You really need to work on that," he observed dryly as he moved to turn into the nurse's office. Sitting inside was - to his eyes - a little old lady in a nurse's outfit, her grey hair done up in a bun. Her energy seemed tightly focused and disciplined, and for some reason focused in her lips. Glancing at the nameplate on the door, he spoke up. "Recovery Girl?" he asked courteously.

"Who did you expect in my office, young man?" the woman asked as she turned. "Endeavor?" She chuckled as she walked over. "Though it almost looks like you've had dealings with him. What happened, Midoriya?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I...kicked Kaa-chan's explosive discharge..."

"Just because you've learned to deflect energy blasts doesn't mean you're fire proof, Izuku," Ranma scolded gently. "And explosions make heat."

"Yeah, I noticed..." Izuku admitted apologetically.

"How come you weren't brought to me sooner?" Recovery Girl demanded crossly as she lifted Izuku's leg to examine the injury to his foot.

"Because I thought if I had a chance to see you in action, I might be able to figure out how to help All Might," Ranma explained readily.

Recovery Girl raised an eyebrow as she gave him a 'look'. "And what makes you think you can do what the best Doctor's and Healing Quirks can't?" she demanded crossly.

"The fact I spotted that the injury's resistance to healing is because of the presence of foreign, malignant energy left behind in the wound by whoever inflicted it specifically to continue eating away at his body and energy to prevent healing."

Recovery Girl's eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly. "That...that _would_ explain it..." she marveled as she let that turn over in her mind. "It would explain why he's gotten progressively worse, why the wound seems to be decaying despite it being sealed...and why he's still functioning despite organ damage beyond sheer nerve. It was left there specifically to prolong his torment."

"Whoever did that to him _really_ hated him," Ranma agreed. "And whoever did it knew a _lot_ about manipulating bio energy, exotic or otherwise. The only reason I could tell that it was foreign was because the intent that shaped it was diametrically opposed to All Might's entire being, which made the energy look a completely different color."

"Then without your unique combination of ability and training, no one would have ever spotted it?" Izuku gasped in horror.

"Most likely," Recovery Girl confirmed. "And if that's the case, anything I can do to help you learn to fix it, Ranma, will be well worth it." Leaning forward, her lips stretched from her face towards Izuku.

Ranma's eyes widened as he saw the energy in her lips accelerate and seem to ignite. "Wait, your Quirk works by burning your patient's ki for accelerated healing?" he asked in surprise.

Recovery Girl blinked as her lips withdrew. "I haven't even begun and you already saw that?" She chuckled softly. "Principal Nezu said you'd be full of surprises..."

"Izuku's Quirk seems to be about storing massive amounts of energy," Ranma pointed out. "More than his body can safely handle discharging at full volume. If he were to release that slowly into his body, could you tap that instead?"

Recovery Girl's eyebrows shot up. "Energy storage, you say?" she asked archly. "Well, I could certainly try."

"Got it," Izuku confirmed as he cracked the seal again, letting his Quirk slowly fill his body.

Recovery Girl's lips once more stretched out, touching his leg just above his ankle. As her energy tapped into his, the Quirk Energy flooded out, drawing the essence of her energy into itself before funneling into the injured foot, the injury rapidly repairing itself.

"Well...that was different..." Recovery Girl murmured as her lips pulled back. She rubbed her lips idly. "It felt like a bit more was drawn from me than normal..."

"You put some of your own energy into the patient as a catalyst?" Ranma asked curiously as he watched the flow of energy within Izuku. It looked almost as if his Quirk were...analyzing and adapting to what it had experienced in the healing. "Do you mind if I try something?"

"What did you have in mind?" Recovery Girl asked.

"An experiment regarding the nature of Izuku's Quirk," Ranma answered carefully. "It seems to have...unexpected attributes."

"Go ahead," Izuku offered eagerly.

"I don't see why not-" Recovery Girl began.

Ranma's fist lashed out, striking Izuku hard on the jaw and sending him tumbling across the room.

"NOW I DO!" Recovery Girl shrieked as Izuku pushed himself back up, nursing the bruise and spitting out a tooth. "Do you know how much energy it takes to reset a tooth-"

"Izuku," Ranma spoke up, interrupting the ranting nurse. "I want you to focus on the memory of Recovery Girl's Quirk working on you, and focus that memory into your jaw where you're injured through your Quirk. Can you do that for me?"

"And what's that supposed to do..." Recovery Girl began, only for her voice to trail off as Izuku's cheek began sparking and glowing with his Quirk.

As Ranma watched, the store of energy within Izuku shifted, a small portion taking the shape of Recovery Girl's energy burning brightly, focused into his injured cheek. It burned brightly for a brief moment, and then faded. The bruise was gone. "Wow, that was-" Izuku began, only to freeze. He probed his mouth with his tongue. "But...but Recovery Girl's Quirk can only accelerate _natural_ healing! It can't make the body do something it wouldn't do naturally overtime! How did it make me grow a new tooth?!"

"It WHAT?!" Recovery Girl gasped out, rushing forward and grabbing Izuku's mouth to pull him down to look. She grabbed the tooth in his hand and visually compared, spotting where it came out. "But...that's impossible..." she murmured in awe. "The only way that would work...is if it somehow made the body generate a new stem cell and rapidly accelerated it to replace the missing portion, but my Quirk doesn't do that..."

"Probably because no one has enough energy to let that happen," Ranma concluded thoughtfully. "While this doesn't help as far as getting the malignant energy _out_ of All Might, I think it is the key to his survival and recovery once that happens."

"But how are you going to get it out?" Izuku asked worriedly. "Are...are you going to just reach in and yank it out with your ki?" He chuckled nervously at the absurdity of the idea.

Ranma rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't have the control to do so directly with ki...but maybe..." He turned to Recovery Girl. "Which teacher runs the support course? I think I need the help of someone from there."

"That would be Pro Hero Power Loader," Recovery Girl pointed out. "Do you think you need some unique gear to solve this?"

"Perhaps, but not something from someone set in their ways..." he murmured thoughtfully. "What I need is...a mad scientist. I wonder if he has any students he'd classify that way...?"


	17. Chapter 17

Following Recovery Girl's directions, Ranma made his way to where the Support Class was held. The very first thing he noticed about it as he reached the door was that the entire wing had increased reinforcement as compared to the rest of the school, which was already more reinforced than he'd encountered in public buildings in Nerima. _Even Ryoga would have a hard time crashing through these walls,_ he thought to himself as he knocked on the door.

The door was opened by a somewhat tall man dressed in blue pants, heavy metal gloves, and a helmet shaped like an excavator claw. "Are you here for the Support Course?" he asked curiously. "I don't have any-ah, you must be Ranma. How's the nano-fiber ninja suit working out?"

Ranma blinked in surprise. "Quite well, actually," he replied warmly. "It adapts to my ki flows better than I expected for anything made by anyone but myself. No one did an analysis of my ki flows, so how'd they manage it?" He looked up at the helmet. "...Power Loader-sensei, I presume?"

"That's me," the man confirmed. "And as best I understood the explanation, the nano-fiber of the cloth was coded to adapt itself to the first bio-energy input it experienced, and until then was openly receptive. Hatsume-chan was very insistent that no one else so much as touch the cloth of the completed garment until you did or it would mess things up."

Ranma let out an appreciative whistle. While he didn't understand the science, he _did_ know how hard it was to make anything responsive to ki, and the idea that someone could make fabric that was _universally_ responsive to ki and designed to adapt to the first ki it received and thus _bond_... "She sounds pretty talented-" His mind locked on the '-chan'. "By any chance is she a student, rather than staff?"

"First year," Power Loader confirmed. "She jumped at the chance when we got All Might's specs for what he wanted your Hero Costume to do. Any chance you could give her a report in person? She's been eager for feedback, and has a whole slew of blueprints to work on fro 'ki-reactive tech' once she knows the theory's sound."

Ranma grinned from ear to ear. "I'd be happy to. She sounds like _exactly_ the sort of person I'm looking for to help with a project of my own. Is she here?"

"In the back," Power Loader confirmed, jerking his thumb towards one of the labs near the back of the classroom. "Though be careful. While she's certainly the most talented and...committed student I've had in a while..." His voice began to trail off.

"...it's a fine line on a day to day basis which definition of 'committed' should apply?" Ranma asked impishly.

"You could say that," Power Loader allowed uncertainly. "Not that I'd dream of letting her talents go to waste, but..."

"Sensei, I came looking for a mad scientist," Ranma pointed out. "All you're telling me is she's _exactly_ who I was looking for."

Power Loader stared at him for a time. "...do you mind if I get behind the protective shield? Just in case?" He gestured to a rather sturdy looking plexiglass wall that - based on the markings on it - was plainly actually made of something far more durable.

"Go right ahead," Ranma agreed as he made his way to the lab in the back, idly pulling the mask part of his outfit down as he did so. Glancing in, he saw a short, rather shapely girl with bright pink hair under an odd goggle-like hat assembly bending over a work table, tinkering with something. She was dressed in a black tank top, baggy cargo pants, heavy boots, and had a jacket loosely tied around her waist. "Hatsume-san?" he asked carefully.

Her head jerked around, and he saw an unnaturally wide grin under shining yellow eyes staring up at him. "Ah! Saotome-san!" she cried out eagerly, turning and lunging towards him, her movement calling even more attention to her shapely frame...and the fact she apparently went for being as 'restrained' as little as possible while she worked (he had an odd feeling she'd be in the lab wearing only a leather apron covered in pockets if the school dress code allowed it). She got uncomfortably close to him - practically pressed against him - as she reached out and ran her fingers over his chest. "And how's my little baby working out for you?" she asked urgently, her hands - to his surprise - following the paths his ki flowed through the garment. "It's the first time I've worked with fabric _or_ bio-energy-reactive tech, and I've never really been one for 'stealthy'..."

While at first Ranma had been ready to bolt as she'd come that close and started what felt like fondling him, he quickly realized it was his costume - which she'd made - that she wanted to touch, and he made himself relax, telling himself it was no different than a tailor taking measurements. "It works wonderfully," he responded warmly. "The way it accepts my ki makes it feel like a part of me, almost as though I'm not wearing anything at all. Quite liberating really, and makes me feel safer in my outfit than I have in a long time."

Mei blinked in surprise. "Wait...you're not wearing..._anything_ under this?" Her eyes - and fingertips - trailed a little lower as her cheeks started to pink.

"It would be uncomfortable to do so with how well it's adapted to me," Ranma replied easily. "And I can feel the extra reinforcement in more sensitive areas. You really thought of everything...which is why I hoped you could help me with another project."

At 'project', the blush vanished from her cheeks as her eyes jerked back to his, her smile somehow getting bigger. "Oh? You want to help me make a special little baby?" she asked eagerly, moving up even closer to him.

_Stay cool Ranma,_ he thought firmly in his mind. _She's talking about the tech, you already know that. Get control of yourself!_ Calming his mind and body, he nodded. "Right now I'm thinking more of a device for use than a piece of support equipment for the field...but could you build some sort of field generator that could convert physical matter that passed through it into bio-energy, and back?"

"The conversion part's easy!" Hatsume declared happily, gesturing to a strange metal circle she'd set up on the work table, what she'd plainly been working on. "It's how I figured out how to work with bio-energy in the first place!" Picking up an apple, she lobbed it through the circle.

Ranma ducked instinctively as a blast of unfocused ki erupted from the other side of the circle as the apple appeared to be vaporised, another dent appearing in the opposite wall.

"'Back' is the hard part," she admitted awkwardly. "Still having trouble figuring out how to control the energy once it takes shape..."

"Would it help if you could study how I manipulate mine?" Ranma offered helpfully, shaping a sphere of ki over his open palm.

Hatsume immediately pulled her goggles down and began taking notes. "So _that's_ how it's controlled, it's the living impetus and neurosignal! That's why apples and other things just discharge like crazy, there's no guiding force. With a few tweaks I could maybe get it to convert flesh to energy and back...but I wouldn't want to test it on anyone who couldn't grow it back...maybe Tokage-san in 1-B, but how would I talk her into it...?"

"Why not leave that to me?" Ranma offered. "Pretty sure talking to the teacher would make things go smoother."

"Works for me!" Mei replied energetically. "Though the more I can learn from how your ki works the better, since it's definitely going to be you using it. Might need to learn a bit more about your biology in the process..."

"No samples," Ranma insisted flatly.

"Aww!" she pouted in an oddly adorable fashion. "Does that mean you won't call me 'Little Mei'?"

"If it helps you focus on the project, I'd be happy to," Ranma answered easily. "Long as you stay out of a nurse's outfit!"

Mei immediately began cackling wickedly as she began running calculations, and Ranma found himself wondering what he'd gotten himself into.


	18. Chapter 18

As Ranma made his way towards the Teacher's Lounge in search of Class 1-B's teacher as classes had been dismissed, he frowned as he experienced a moment of dissonance. It had only been a few months since he came here, and as he moved immediately to put more work on himself he realized just how much he'd changed. Back in Nerima, outside of keeping himself fit for the art he'd been rather lazy, preferring to avoid work if at all possible and find a way to get out of it otherwise. With a distasteful frown, he realized he'd slowly been becoming more and more like Genma, something he definitely didn't like.

As he continued on more slowly, he thought about how quickly the changes had set in. When he'd come to the city, it was the first time in his life he'd ever traveled alone on his own impetus, and with only a couple exceptions in China the first time he'd been his own navigator outside Nerima. As a result, he'd kept his senses on higher alert than other times...and had been all but overwhelmed. Now thrust into the world of Quirks that he'd somehow missed over his other journeys, he'd found himself overwhelmed as all the rules changed, unsure if he could even believe it was all real.

As he'd gone with the flow - and the fulfillment of basic needs - the world began to open to him, especially once Momo showed him a new way to look at it all. And now here he was...a teacher. Well, an assistant, really, but he'd chosen to take on that responsibility...

Was that it? He'd chosen to take responsibility for others, and the fact it was his own choice and not something others had forced on him what left him with so much energy and urgency to not only get the job done but _do_ a good job? And the teachers greeted him as a responsible young man, believing him capable...

He shook his head to dispel the thoughts. Now wasn't the best time for wool gathering. Once he got everything related to this project - and helping All Might - set up, he could let himself take time to think about everything. Finding his way to the Teacher's Lounge, he glanced in the open door.

Sitting at one of the desks looking over some papers was an exceptionally large, white-haired man dressed in a skin-tight red battle suit with oversized white gloves, a cable of some sort running back from one gauntlet into the flesh between his neck and shoulder. An orange mask somewhat hid the color of his eyes as he moved a pen over the papers he was working on, obviously grading. Before Ranma could say anything, the man paused and looked up. "Ah, Saotome-san," he greeted warmly. "Come in, please."

Ranma entered, a rueful smile under his mask. "I must be slipping," he joked easily. "I thought I was being quieter than that."

The man shrugged his shoulders. "I also work as a field Hero. You learn to trust the sensation of being watched when you're used to fighting Villains, and a lot of them like the stealth approach." He stood up and extended his hand. "I'm Sekijiro Kan, teacher for Class 1-B. Or Vlad King, if you prefer to go by my hero name."

Ranma happily accepted the handshake. "You're exactly who I was looking for, Kan-sensei," he greeted warmly. "There's a project I'm working on-"

"All Might's injury, right?" Vlad interrupted in almost a whisper. "I know. He stopped by earlier to tell me you might have found a way to fix it. Anything I can do to help?"

Ranma's eyebrows rose in surprise at the eagerness, but he did his best to hide his reaction otherwise. Since the entire society seemed to be balanced on 'The Symbol of Justice and Peace', he supposed those in the know about his condition had been holding their breaths against the day he couldn't keep it up anymore, and any viable chance of fixing the situation was worth eagerly exploring. "Not you, but one of your students," he explained calmly. "I was hoping I could get the assistance of one...Tokage-san?"

"Setsuna?" Vlad asked in surprise. "I'm not sure how she could help. I mean, being able to manipulate parts of her body split off from her and regrow them when lost has a lot of potential, but..."

"Ah, that's why Hatsume-san thought she could help," Ranma concluded eagerly. "If she can manipulate a part of her body independent from the rest of her, she doesn't have to be attached to whatever we convert, and if something goes wrong the first few times, she can grow it back and try again."

"Try...what again, exactly?" Vlad asked suspiciously, his posture becoming more guarded.

"Hatsume-san's trying to create a device to convert bio-matter into bio-energy and back," Ranma explained. "She's already accomplished the conversion one way, but without the living impetus and neurosignal of a person using it, it just discharges and disperses. Working with a person, we can figure out how to control the energy on the other side...and if Tokage-san is used to controlling a separated part of her, that should help getting results."

Vlad rubbed his chin, frowning worriedly. "You're...certain Setsuna-chan will be safe?" he asked carefully. "Even as new a student as she is, Hatsume has a...reputation..."

"Which is part of why I went to her," Ranma admitted. "I needed something brand new, experimental, and outside sensible thought. I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to keep your student from coming to unnecessary harm while in my care, however."

Vlad thought that over for a time. "...I'll talk to her between lessons tomorrow," he said finally. "If she agrees, I'll oversee your first tests over the weekend, and then decide if it's safe enough."

Ranma bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Sensei," he offered warmly. "I will see you tomorrow, then."

"Until tomorrow," Vlad agreed as he returned to his papers, an uncertain frown on his face.

Turning, Ranma headed towards the school exit, more than ready to end the day. As a familiar feeling crossed over him, he couldn't help but wonder if the day was even close to over.


	19. Chapter 19

As Ranma approached the school gates, he froze as he heard very familiar voices in an intense discussion. Instinctively hiding his presence as best he could, he approached to hear what was said clearly.

"-are you doing waiting around here?" Momo demanded irritably. "It's not proper for students to loiter at the gates like this."

"Says the one who I found waiting here," Toru countered playfully. "I was just going to ask Ranma-senpai if he had any plans for after school and if he wanted to go to an arcade or something."

"If you must know, the reason I'm waiting here is because Principal Nezu asked if I could put Ranma up until on campus dorms were constructed, as it isn't proper for a student - even a TA - to be staying with his teacher," Momo explained calmly. "Something about improper implications in teacher-student relationships..."

"I...don't really want to think about that, but why you?" Toru demanded angrily.

"Because I have plenty of space," Momo explained readily. "It's no imposition to put him up until the student dorms are completed."

"And the fact it gives you unfettered access to him is simply coincidence, then?" Toru countered tartly.

"Well we _have_ sparred together quite often, so that would certainly be convenient," Momo observed dryly.

"Right. 'Sparring'. Is that what you're calling it?" another voice spoke up playfully.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ashido-san," Momo countered tartly, identifying the new voice.

"And what about you?" Ashido asked. "Why are you out here? Waiting for Saotome-senpai, too?"

"I was going to ask him to come see my lab at home!" Mei replied energetically. "That way we can have extra time and space where we can make more sweet little babies together uninterrupted."

"B-babies?" Momo gasped in shock.

"More?!" Toru demanded peevishly.

"Uninterrupted?" Ashido asked eagerly. "Details, girl!"

_And I'm taking a different exit,_ Ranma thought firmly as he headed for another part of the school grounds. _Maybe I can find somewhere on campus to kip for the night. I can talk with Momo about apparently 'housing me' tomorrow. Wonder where those dorms are being built?_

"How do you do it, dude?" a quiet, somewhat nasal voice asked in almost worshipful tones.

Blinking in surprise, Ranma turned towards the source of the voice and saw the little purple student that he had been concerned about regarding his perverted behavior, Mineta. _How did he manage to sneak up on me?_ he thought to himself in surprise. "How do I do what?" he asked aloud, more calmly than he actually felt. "Last I checked, that's a long list of things that perplexes people here."

"How do you get all the hot girls all over you?" Mineta asked urgently. "First you're all chummy with Momo who walks around in practically nothing, then you get Toru flaunting herself for you before practically putting on a strip show only you can see, and Mei making babies with you when you just met her? How do you do it, man?" He lunged forward and grabbed hold of Ranma's ankles, looking up at him pleadingly. "Please...teach me the ways of the SWAG..."

Ranma did his best not to back up from the young man. "If I knew how that kept happening, I'd have stopped it by now," he grumbled under his breath. "Half the reason I left Nerima was girl problems I couldn't handle."

"Aw..." Mineta pouted sadly. His eyes then lit up. "But maybe you could tell me some details? Like Toru, are her breasts as shapely as they look through fabric?" He began making rather lewd gestures with his hands. "Regular or inverted nipples? Did she shave all her pubes or-"

Ranma put a finger to Mineta's lips, immediately silencing him. He knew he'd have to address this particular issue at some point - preferably before Mineta became aware of his cursed form - but he hadn't quite figured out how. However, seeing the way Mineta's ki - and oddly enough, his Quirk energy - was flowing in response to his sudden energy, an idea occurred to him. "You're aware of my work with pressure points, right?" he asked calmly.

"Well, yeah," Mineta confirmed. "Who isn't? But what's that got to do with-"

"Ever since I learned how my Quirk works, I've extended beyond just using the strikes I know extrapolated to non-baseline biology," Ranma continued, interrupting Mineta's question. "I've been developing new ones, shaped in what I want to have happen to a target...and one in particular should be of interest to you right now. It's right around the tailbone, actually."

"Uh huh?" Mineta asked, confusion and interest warring in his tone. "What's it do?"

"Well, that's where the nerve channel between the brain and the groin meets the ki pathway between them," Ranma explained calmly. "Where the nerve signal and ki surge tied to arousal meet on their way to the groin. And there's a certain tweak I've been developing for that particular point to deal with...a certain individual who has never learned to control his perversions."

"O-oh?" Mineta asked nervously. "W-what tweak?"

"When the nerve signal and ki pass through the twist...it will add a signal that will activate every pain neuron in the groinal region," Ranma explained calmly. "Once applied, that will happen _every_ time the one thus affected becomes physically aroused."

Mineta's eyes went wide as a high pitched whimper escaped his mouth, one hand going protectively to his crotch while the other covered his tailbone. "You...you aren't going to do that to me, are you?"

"What?" Ranma asked in surprise. "No! You're nowhere near bad enough to warrant that."

Mineta let out a sigh of relief. "But...you said...someone who never learned to-"

"I'm talking about someone from back in Nerima," Ranma explained. "Someone who, as much as it pains me to admit it, is the Grandmaster of my family's martial art style. A 300 year old gnome who's raised perversion practically to an art form, refueling his ki by groping women and stealing their undergarments, among other things. Probably the worst evil outside the Quirk community Japan's ever seen-"

"You know Happosai's combat style?" Mineta squeaked out in surprise. "No wonder you're so effective in combat!"

Ranma's eyebrows shot up. "You...know about Happosai?" he asked in surprise.

"Are you kidding?" Mineta countered intensely. "He's one of the worst criminals the world's seen, and even predates Quirk society! He's practically a legend, and the only reason he's not listed as a supervillain is because he doesn't have a Quirk!"

"Huh," Ranma mused thoughtfully. "Wonder why the old freak never mentioned any of that." Shaking his head, he continued on what he had been saying before. "Well, I'd been developing that particular pressure point strike to deal with him...and even with him, I think I'd be hesitant to use it."

"Oh?" Mineta asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because as bad, as evil, as despicable as Happosai is...he has his good side," Ranma admitted ruefully. "He goes out of his way to help children in need. He will _not_ tolerate anyone hurting a child for any reason. And he _has_ tried to change when he found something he considered worth it to try for." Kneeling down, he looked Mineta in the eye. "And if there's such good in him that I question what he deserves...how much more could there be in you, who is nowhere near as bad? You made it here to be a Hero student, you have potential..." He smiled warmly. "So how can I not give you a chance to show it, and the help to reach it?"

Mineta stared at Ranma for a time...then threw himself forward, wrapping his arms tight around Ranma's neck as he cried into his shoulder. "Thank you..." he whimpered as he shook with his sobs.

Blinking, Ranma steadied himself. "For what?" he asked in confusion.

"...for believing in me..."

Ranma snapped his mouth shut. He had no idea how to respond to that...so instead, he said nothing. There would be time for talking when he knew what to say. For now, he steadied his classmate, and let him cry.


	20. Chapter 20

Once Mineta's tears began to fade, Ranma gently pushed him back so he could look him in the eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked calmly. Seeing Mineta shake his head, he suppressed a sigh. _Not surprised he doesn't want to get all emotional after losing control like that,_ he mused to himself. Looking him over, he tried to find a safe topic to let him open up on so he could try and help him. Noticing again the odd twists of energy in his odd hairballs, he decided to start there. "So what is your Quirk, exactly?"

"Huh?" Mineta asked, plainly confused. "I thought you could see that?"

"I can see the flows of energy," Ranma corrected gently. "But until I see it in action, that doesn't tell me anything about what that energy does. I have to figure that out on my own."

"Ah," Mineta allowed, seeming to relax somewhat. Reaching up, he plucked one of the purple spheres from his head. The energy flowing into it became completely enclosed, reacting to the energy in his body but no longer directly connected to it. Another sphere grew in the place it had been pulled from. "I can pull these spheres off. Once I do, they stick to everything but me." He dropped it to the ground, where it affixed itself firmly. Reaching down, he tugged on it for a time, but it would not budge. "As for me..." He jumped onto the sphere, only to spring off it like a trampoline as the energy inside repelled the energy in him. "They repel me."

"Looks like a magnetic reaction, almost," Ranma mused thoughtfully. "When you pull them off, they anchor to somewhere separate from you, and then repel the 'like charge' inside you. You could probably 'repel' a sphere you'd pulled off quite far and fast if you tried...how long does the charge last?"

Mineta blinked in surprise. "A 'charge', huh? Guess that explains why it lasts longer the better condition I'm in health wise when I pull them off."

Ranma nodded in confirmation. "Ki - and Quirk energy - flows more freely through the body without health issues, so the fewer you have the more it can be focused into your Quirk." He looked at how the energy flowed between the still attached spheres and the rest of Mineta. "I wonder if you could control how much of a charge the spheres got with training, either pulling off several low-charge spheres or a single super-charged one..."

Mineta patted the spheres on his head. "I never really thought of that..." he admitted ruefully. "I mostly spent time trying to figure out how to get them to stop sticking where I didn't want them."

"That's pretty responsible," Ranma praised with a smile. "I admit, with a power like yours, I'd have been tempted to cover the walls, floor, and ceiling of my room and turn it into my personal super bounce house."

Mineta chuckled softly. "I did that once..." His voice trailed off. "...until the Matron complained..." he murmured under his breath.

Ranma schooled his expression as best he could...though he could begin to understand why Mineta reacted so strongly to being believed in. He decided to shift the subject quickly. "So did you figure out how to get them to unstick before the charge runs out?"

"Uh...yeah..." Mineta began awkwardly. "There's a substance in my scalp that can prevent the sticking entirely...and another derived from...another source in my body...that dissolves the spheres..."

"That's convenient-" Ranma began, only to pause. The way he was being so evasive. "...is it going to be something gross?"

"...girls definitely think so..."

Ranma did his best not to groan aloud, but he wasn't able to stop himself from putting his face in his hands. "And...that's why you have such a...healthy libido?" he observed awkwardly.

"Y-yeah..." Mineta admitted awkwardly. "I...kinda had to make a lot early on and...kinda conditioned myself without meaning to..."

_Someone up there has a horrible sense of humor,_ Ranma thought to himself as he slowly raised his eyes to look at Mineta. _And for the first time in my life, I don't feel like their biggest joke._ "So that's where the...attitude came from?"

"Sorta," Mineta allowed. "See, between all...that...and the fact I'm so short, it was plainly obvious that no matter what I did, I would never escape being seen as a slimy, perverted little troll. I also knew that all Pro-Heroes had a 'public face' they used, a shaped personality that fit them to be more marketable in the exaggeration. So...if I'm always going to be seen as a slimy, perverted little troll, even as a Pro-Hero...I might as well be the slimiest, littlest, most perverted, and trolliest Pro out there."

Ranma let his hands fall as he stared at Mineta, completely dumbfounded. "...you're trying to pull a Shatner," he concluded in disbelief.

"...well, it worked for him," Mineta pointed out ruefully.

"He had fame behind the reputation before he got it," Ranma pointed out. "You need to start exaggerating _after_ you've made the name for yourself so people realize you're playing. Otherwise they just think it's the real you."

"...oh, I did not know that..." Mineta murmured uncertainly. "...I'm...not gonna be able to fix this, am I?"

"It's a long road ahead to try," Ranma observed ruefully. "But...I think it'll be worth it to try."

"Where do I start?" Mineta pressed hopefully.

"I'd start with redesigning your costume a bit," Ranma pointed out playfully. "Seriously, what were you thinking giving yourself a metal diaper?"

"That with the character I'd chosen to play, I'd be getting a lot of crotch shots?"

Ranma blinked. "...point, but there are better ways to go about it. Let's see what we can do..."


	21. Chapter 21

By the time Ranma bid Mineta goodnight to head home, it was already quite late. In addition to completely redesigning his costume to be less comedic in appearance - a simple bodysuit with reinforced pants until they figured out what else could be done with it to amplify his powers - they'd worked on Mineta learning to feel the energy in his spheres, both before and after pulling them off. Manipulating the charge was still a ways away, but Mineta was no longer reliant on an examination of his bodily functions and bowel movements to determine how long his spheres would last, and could be a lot more exact in his estimates. Then he'd asked the one question that had both caught Ranma off guard and made him grin from ear to ear.

_"Do you think I could manipulate the charge after I pull them off, too?"_

The ideas of how Mineta could utilize that if it did work - from recharging spheres that were running out to having spares stashed for when he had energy to charge the spheres but not to make them - left Ranma in a creative frenzy, and so he wasn't focusing on where he was going as much as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. He'd seen that Momo was no longer waiting for him at the school gates, and had decided to just grab his stuff from Aizawa-sensei's place and meet up at her place, since he knew where that was from school records. Either that, or he'd find someplace to crash at the school, since it would be en route.

As this was running through his mind, some instinct for danger screamed at him and he threw himself low, bending back at the knees until he was practically flat along the roof he'd just leapt to and using what he'd learned of Martial Arts Tea Ceremony to keep moving despite his legs being completely folded. Seeing the glint of light off a blade at what had been chest height, he planted his hand and spun, lashing out with a kick at where the arc of the blade told him the one holding it had to be, only to jerk back as he saw another glint of light aimed for his leg. Flipping back a ways, he landed and focused his attention on the figure he could now see before him.

A tall, rather muscular man dressed almost entirely in black stood there, shifting into an aggressive stance as he held a sword in one hand and a long knife in the other. He wore heavy boots, several knives strapped around his lower torso, wrappings along his arms, and a long red scarf that wrapped under his chin and over his forehead before streaming out behind him. His scraggly black hair also waved in the air despite the total absence of wind, and his bloodshot eyes stood out among the bandages that covered the upper half of his face in place of a mask.

What was most unnerving to Ranma, however, was that he could not see the man's ki or Quirk. Shifting into a combat stance, he spoke up. "Who or what are you?" he demanded angrily.

The man looked Ranma over calmly. "Anything Goes variant, hmm?" he asked quietly, his voice gravelly. "Interesting. I didn't think the False Heroes trained in the Arts, let alone one used by a criminal." He shifted his stance. "Let's see what you can do." With that, he lunged forward.

Ranma found he didn't have time to speak after that as he was forced to evade slashes and thrusts that came far faster than Takewate Kuno ever did. None of the man's movements wasted any energy, or left any obvious openings for counter attacks. Even with the larger swings of the katana, the knife held in the other hand was behind, ready to strike if Ranma tried to take advantage. And without being able to see the flows of ki, Ranma didn't dare try pressure point strikes, and the live blades made attempting to brute force his way through the man's defenses a bad idea.

Instead, he focused on evasion and only enough counter attacks to keep the man from changing attack strategies. Instead, Ranma focused his senses, trying to figure out why he couldn't see...

There it was. He still couldn't see the man's ki as it flowed through his body, but he saw the twists. The man's ki was twisted into a half-inversion, and his Quirk energy into a half-inversion in the other direction. The result was similar to the Umisenken, but rather than rendering him invisible to normal senses it rendered the man undetectable to anything _but_ the normal senses. Someone who relied entirely on martial arts training and natural senses would be unaffected, but someone who relied on enhanced senses wouldn't be able to find him until it was too late.

"Hero Killer Stain," Ranma whispered as he put it together. Nobody else would use a stealth technique that specifically targeted Heroes that relied on enhanced senses.

"I'd have thought you would recognize me sooner-" Stain began, only to jerk back as Ranma's leg lashed out. He managed to avoid the first kick, but the next six shattered his knife, the following three knocked his katana out of his hand, and the remaining 50 slammed into his arms and torso undetered. Stain fell back, gasping for air as a bit of blood came out his mouth. "...a Chestnut Kick?" he hissed out, a wide grin crossing his face. "Someone's studied with an Amazon..." Despite the bruises and cracked ribs the kicks had left him with, he yanked two more knives from their sheathes and shifted to a new stance.

Ranma moved back to get some distance. "Why are you attacking me?" he demanded coldly. "I thought you went after Pro-Heroes."

"_False_ Heroes!" Stain corrected harshly as he lunged in, reversing his knives at the last moment and managing to land several blows on Ranma with the hilts from the surprise shift. As Ranma's attention was focused on the knives, the spiked tip of Stain's left boot dug into Ranma's thigh, jerking back and sending blood into the air. Stain lunged for it tongue first.

Seeing this, Ranma reacted. Focusing his ki, he caused the spilled blood to combust in mid-air by shaping the ki into Katsuki's sparking nature, and used the same to rapidly cauterize the wound to his thigh. "Your Quirk...you need to drink my blood to do something to me. That's why all the blades..."

Stain stepped back in surprise. "A neat trick, reacting to my Quirk as soon as you figured it out." Sheathing his knives, he shifted into a new stance. "Looks like I'll need to wear you out first." He grinned widely. "This is going to be fun." His aura flared, and an intense aura of menace pressed down on Ranma, as though he was face to face with a demon clawing its way out of hell to devour his soul.

Bracing himself, Ranma flared his own aura to fight back. "That's a...potent Demon Head technique..." he managed to say as he forced himself to relax. "But nothing I haven't...seen before..."

Stain's grin widened. "Good." With no more warning than that, he lunged in.

The fight moved so fast at that point that Ranma lost track of blow and counter blow. He felt each impact as Stain managed to land a blow on him, as well as the force it took to actually injure the man. He hadn't been pushed this hard since he'd faced off against Dragon Prince Herb, and he wasn't entirely certain which opponent was tougher. Still, much like when he'd faced Herb and Saffron, he felt something stirring inside of him. The battle, the challenge, the danger, the thrill...he _reveled_ in it! The harder he was forced to push himself, the more he enjoyed it, the better he got.

Stain's eyes widened as the next assault hit him, the Chestnut technique adapted to a mix of punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, kicks, and even headbutts, Ranma's entire body moving so fast it was impossible to block. He leapt back as Ranma did, both panting from exertion. "...I think I was wrong about you," Stain said finally.

"Hmm?" Ranma asked, nursing a sore and swollen jaw that made it hard - though not impossible - to talk clearly.

"I thought you were one of those Fake Heroes, what with leaping around in full costume without a care," Stain explained, forcing clear words out despite the pain of several broken bones and a dislocated shoulder. "But you aren't a fake hero. ...but you aren't a real one either, are you?" His eyes bored into Ranma's.

Ranma shrugged. "I'm only training to be one to cut some red tape," he stated bluntly. "If people need help and I'm there, I'll help them. It's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak."

Stain chuckled softly despite the pain that caused his lungs. "I remember when I used to believe that," he murmured quietly. "You intrigue me. I'll be keeping my eye on you."

"At least I...know you'll be down for a few weeks," Ranma muttered darkly.

"Oh?" Stain asked curiously. "How so?"

"I know the extent I injured you," Ranma managed to say. "Only way you're...getting up tomorrow morning is if you see a Healer Quirk user. But if you were up and about tomorrow, I'd know there was a Healer Quirk in the criminal underground, and that would become a priority for Pros to take down and capture...so no underground Healer Quirk will treat you and risk being exposed."

Stain's eyes widened, and he burst into explosive laughter. "Oh, you are _fun_," Stain purred. "I haven't had a fight that intense in years. Keep your eyes _and_ ears open for me...Ranma Saotome." With that, he leapt backwards off the building and vanished.

Ranma struggled to breath...then fell back onto his rear. "Maybe I...should have stayed in Nerima..." he muttered worriedly, glancing around to get his bearings. He hoped Recovery Girl was still at the school...


	22. Chapter 22

Recovery Girl was just about to close up her office and head home when she heard something slam against the window. She always kept her office open much longer than the rest of the school, as the teachers frequently stayed late for various reasons and some students had projects that let them stay later, and someone always needed treatment late even if it was just a bandaid rather than her Quirk. Glancing to the window, however, she saw nothing there. "That's odd," she murmured as she moved to the window, frowning as she looked closer. It took a few moments for her to realize the nothing was bleeding from the leg, a spot that on closer inspection looked badly cauterized. Pulling the window open, she gasped as the student she now recognized tumbled in. "Ranma!" she gasped out in shock. "What happened to you?"

"S...Stain..." Ranma managed to get out around his swollen jaw.

"Stain was on campus?" Recovery Girl demanded worriedly, rushing to the emergency beacons to put the school on lockdown.

"Halfway...to...Aizawa..." Ranma managed to say before the pain in his jaw proved too much.

"He attacked you halfway to Aizawa-sensei's place?" Recovery Girl clarified. When Ranma nodded, her eyes widened in wonder. "And you made it all the way back here after that? How?"

Ranma started to smirk, only to wince in pain.

"Never mind, I'll treat you first." Picking Ranma up surprisingly easily, she placed the injured fighter on one of the beds for patients before giving him a quick once over to catalogue his injuries. "Hmm...seven cracked ribs, pulled tendons in both arms and legs, cut and burned on your left leg, cracked knuckle bones, and your vertebrae look twisted. This will take a bit to heal properly." Rolling him onto his front, she placed both hands on his back on either side of his spine. "So how much of this did he do, and how much was you pushing yourself in ways you shouldn't?" Extending her lips, she triggered her Quirk as she forced his spine back into proper alignment.

Ranma let out a startled gasp, then gestured to his spine, arms, and legs, finishing by indicating the burn.

"So the twists and strains are from your fighting style pushed too far, while the other injuries he inflicted?" Recovery Girl clarified as she rolled him back over, this time focusing on his jaw so they could communicate more clearly. "But why burn yourself?"

As Ranma was able to move his jaw without too much pain, he spoke up. "His Quirk...he can do something to you if he tastes your blood. That's why he's got so many bladed weapons. I realized that after he managed to cut me...so I cauterized the wound so no more blood would come out."

"Hmm!" Recovery Girl let out in surprise. "That's some important information I'll be sure to pass on. Hopefully, it'll do someone some good before he attacks again." She began binding his arms and legs.

"He'll be down for a couple weeks at least," Ranma countered with a smirk. "I broke at least six of his ribs, cracked his hips and shoulders, broke three fingers on each hand, and cracked his ankle. Short of going to an incredibly potent Villain Healer, he's down for the count."

"And doing so would let the Heroes know such a potent Villain Healer was at large!" Recovery Girl deduced with wide eyes. "So none would dare treat him enough to be up and about in that time." She shook her head in wonder. "Tell me you didn't plan this for extra credit!"

"If I had, I'd have planned for backup in the area," Ranma groused irritably...only to pause as he realized how true his words were. In his old life, he would have dove into something like this without hesitation or planning, just for the thrill. But the responsibilities he'd taken on...that didn't allow for such an impulsive approach to anything in life. He had to think about those he was responsible for first. Noticing the bindings, he spoke up. "Uh...why are you-" His words cut off as he yawned. "-binding me? I thought..." He found it hard to focus his words.

"As you deduced, my Quirk uses your ki to accelerate your normal healing," Recovery Girl explained. "However, your ki _already_ accelerates your normal healing, to the point that I have to be careful how I use my Quirk on you to avoid burning too much. I've managed to heal enough that you'll sleep comfortably, but you've been burning through your reserves lately, and right now you're running low. I'm afraid you'll need to stay here overnight."

Sighing, Ranma nodded in acceptance before laying back in the surprisingly comfortable hospital bed. "Dunno how well I'll sleep, despite how tired I am," he muttered. "Gonna be running through the fight in my head so...I can tell someone what I know of Stain's fighting style. He's a trained...martial artist and...recognized my style and...techniques..."

"There's no need to worry about that, young man," Nezu said from the door as he stepped in. "I anticipated that one of your skill would either draw or be drawn to intense conflict in this world of ours, so your goggles are also designed to record any combat you get into." He smiled warmly. "My request to Hatsume-chan when she was tweaking them to work better with your Quirk, and she was all for it for the chance to have recorded footage of how well your costume worked for you."

Ranma blinked in surprise. "Huh. That...works..." He felt himself trailing off. "Might be nice...to see how...others...see...my...fightsszzz..." His words trailed off into slumber.

Nezu kept his smile until he was certain Ranma was deep asleep. In then dropped from his face as he turned to Recovery Girl. "How soon can you get him on his feet?" he asked firmly.

Recovery Girl's eyes narrowed angrily. "You heard the litany of his injuries, I'm sure-"

"When's the last time _anyone_ got off so lightly from encountering the Hero Killer?" Nezu countered flatly.

Recovery Girl frowned. "...other than the one time All Might arrived in time to chase him off...never."

"We need his strength and skills if we're to neutralize the Hero Killer," Nezu stated flatly. "Not just what the fight recorders captured, but what he observed as well. As soon as he's back to full strength, I'll be arranging for him to teach Pro Heroes whatever he learned of that battle, and anything they might use to overcome the Hero Killer's skills. We've lost too many good Pros to that monster to let this opportunity slip away."

"And what about him?" Recovery Girl gestured to where Ranma slumbered.

"He said it himself," Nezu pointed out flatly. "It's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak...and compared to the Hero Killer, we _all_ are weak." He clenched his paws tightly, then relaxed. "But you're right. Pressuring him into this isn't the right approach. I'll send out feelers, find out which Pro Heroes would want to learn from someone who - to all appearances - _won_ his first encounter with Stain, then ask Ranma if he's interested in passing on what he learned once he's at full strength." A smile came to his face as he chuckled. "I don't imagine he'll refuse, though. At the rate he learns now, he certainly has the time to spare, and he does get bored so easily..." He paused as he noticed the blood stain on the bindings on his leg. "Hmm..." Leaning forward, he took a sniff of the bloody spot...and his eyes widened. "How curious," he murmured thoughtfully. "I would like these bindings once he doesn't need them. There's...something I need to investigate."

"I already have a blood sample," Recovery Girl pointed out. "Part of his basic physical when he entered the school."

"Then his genetic profile is part of school records?" Nezu asked curiously. "I wonder..." With that, he turned and left the room.

Recovery Girl groaned irritably. "I hate when he gets all mysterious like that." Unable to do anything else, she turned to oversee her patient's slumber.


	23. Chapter 23

Ranma slowly stirred to wakefulness, immediately doing a mental check of his physical state. He didn't feel too hungry, so he knew he hadn't been out for more than the night. His injuries hurt just as much as before, which meant he'd need a day or two of rest to get back into shape. A dull throb near where his spine met his skull told him his ki pathways were somewhat strained, and the overall feeling of weakness told him his reserves were dangerously low. _I really have been pushing myself too hard,_ he thought silently as he tried not to shift despite some discomfort. _Gonna need a day or two to get back in shape. Glad it's the weekend, I won't miss any classes..._ As that thought crossed his mind, he chuckled at the irony of him being so _eager_ for school, only to wince at the throb from his ribs. _Okay, hurts to laugh..._ One last sensation confused him, though. _Why do I feel so hot...on my right side?_

Managing to open his eyes, he saw a rather imposing figure sitting next to the hospital bed Recovery Girl had put him in for the night. The man was huge on the same scale as All Might when flexing, and filled out the blue and white bodysuit he was dressed in. The metal plates on his shoulders and arms glinted in the light given off by his flaming hair and beard. _Well, that's the heat source,_ Ranma thought to himself. "Pro-Hero...Endeavor," he managed to say.

"So you are awake, Saotome-san," Endeavor said gruffly, his voice deep and powerful, though controlled to be calm. "I understand you had a...profitable encounter with the Hero Killer?"

Ranma managed a smirk at the phrasing. "Expensive, certainly..."

"You fought him one on one, and will make a full recovery," Endeavor pointed out. "Compared to his other victims, the price was inconsequential. I understand you have some pertinent observations regarding his fighting style and Quirk?"

Ranma blinked in surprise at that, but as his mind shifted into combat focus the answer became clear. "Nezu-hakase wants me to pass on what I learned to Pro-Heroes in case they encounter him?" he concluded.

"Indeed," Endeavor confirmed. "He sent out messages to see who would want to learn such information from the only person to ever _win_ against the Hero Killer. I came immediately." He crossed his arms. "I hope what you have to relay is worth it."

Ranma frowned. He didn't like Endeavor's abrasive approach, but he _was_ the number 2 ranked Pro-Hero, and that purely from how powerful he was as a hero as he was known to not be very personable, as compared to All Might...especially when compared to All Might. "I don't know what his Quirk does, but I know to activate it he needs to consume his foe's blood...or at least get it on his tongue. That's why he carries so many blades...and his entire fighting style is based around using his Quirk." He shifted to try and get into a more comfortable position to talk, wincing as his spine protested. "A big mistake on his part."

"Oh?" Endeavor asked with a raised eyebrow. "You consider it a mistake for someone to maximize their ability to use their Quirk?"

"I consider it a mistake for anyone to build their fighting style around a single weapon, gimmick, or technique, whatever its nature," Ranma stated flatly. "The moment you encounter someone who knows how to counter it, the entire thing falls apart. Over reliance on any one weapon in your arsenal is asking for it to be taken away."

Endeavor frowned darkly, his eyes stormy. "...indeed," he replied quietly, his voice showing he was distracted by something.

"You'd have an easy advantage, for example," Ranma pointed out. "I managed to throw him off when I cauterized the cut he managed to inflict, and your Quirk could do that for you easily, as well as burn any blood he manages to get out of you."

Endeavor blinked and nodded, once more focused on the discussion. "Good to know," he agreed firmly as he smirked proudly. "Anything else?"

Ranma thought back over the fight. While he wasn't able to identify Stain's specific fighting style, there was one thing he noticed. "The way he fought shows signs he recently drastically altered his fighting style and is still settling into the new one, so he's more susceptible to being thrown off," he pointed out thoughtfully. "Also...his new style is very sadistic. His goal in each fight isn't victory, but the suffering of his opponent."

Endeavor nodded as a dark frown crossed his face. "Yes, that coincides with what has been seen of his actions..." he muttered angrily. He then stood up. "I would like to know anything else you can tell me of this, but that can wait until you're recovered. I need to get back to work." He turned to go.

Ranma blinked as he finally saw something in the shaping of Endeavor's Quirk. "You're Todoroki Shouto's father, aren't you?" he spoke up.

Endeavor turned back with a neutral expression on his face. "Ah, you're his classmate, aren't you?" he responded neutrally. "Yes, Shouto is my son, and he has the potential to be one of - no, _the_ \- greatest hero of his generation!"

Ranma frowned as he heard how fervently Endeavor declared that. He was starting to get a rather unpleasant suspicion, but he needed to ask the question anyway. "I noticed that his ki and Quirk energy is divided right down the middle of his body...and half of it is suppressed to unhealthy levels, almost to the point of repression. Do you have any idea why he would hate and loathe that side of himself enough to do that?"

Endeavor frowned, uncertainty in his eyes. "I know he resists using his fire...you sure he hates it?"

"That's the only thing that would cause that," Ranma replied firmly.

Endeavor's eyes darkened. "...I'll keep that in mind." With that, he turned and stormed out.

Ranma sighed as he lay back. "And I thought people back in Nerima could be prickly," he grumbled to himself. "Least I don't have to deal with any of that here. Pretty sure Nezu-hakase's got a plan for those headaches if they get here...right?" A cold shiver ran down his spine, and he tried his best not to think about what could have caused it. He had enough on his plate as is.

* * *

Two figures sat across from each other around a table in shadows. One figure was young and slim, a plague mask covering most of his face. The other was exceptionally short, and remained almost entirely in the shadows. The entire room was filled with an air of danger and menace, for here sat two of the greatest evils Japan - nay, the entire world - had ever known. One was a known Villain who was second only to All For One himself in his capacity to unleash devastation and carnage. The other was a criminal so crafty and dangerous that even All For One at the height of his power had stepped carefully around him. After all, this criminal would never be classified as a Villain, and as such immune to All For One's most devastating ability...and dangerous and crafty enough that all others were meaningless to him.

The short figure calmly sipped from a flask as he finished listening to the others 'recruitment pitch' as he thought of it. "So that's your angle," he mused, his voice dry and dangerous. "Restore pre-Quirk society. Heh, I imagine quite a few in the 'Quirkless Communities' would _love_ that idea."

"I do have my...unusual supporters," the other figure allowed softly, the kindness of his tone belying the viciousness within. "Does this...interest you?"

"That depends," the criminal replied softly, his beady eyes narrowed. "How do you intend to manage it? A good talk is one thing, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say, and I've yet to see your mix."

The Villain chuckled softly, then spoke up again. "Eri, come."

A nearby door opened, and a young girl who couldn't have been much more than five stepped in. She had pale skin, long silver hair, crimson eyes, and a small spiral horn above her right brow. She was dressed in a plain dress and shoes, and walked sadly and nervously forward at the Villain's summons.

"Rewind," the Villain explained, a smirk in his voice. "With her power, time can literally be turned backwards."

"So you intend to...what?" the criminal asked derisively. "Empower her enough to literally rewind the entire world to before Quirks and prevent them from coming into existence? That sort of thing never works out well. Time isn't nearly so flexible as you may believe."

The Villain sighed softly. "As we learned with our first attempt," he observed dryly as Eri shrunk in on herself. "That sort of quantum uncertainty is why the world shifted, and now we have such large 'Quirkless Communities'. As inflexible as time is, it is quite...self correcting."

The criminal nodded in understanding. He _had_ been wondering about the odd anachronisms he'd encountered when hopping in and out of said communities, as though literal pieces of different time periods were stitched together and people were too blind to see the stitches...or encouraged not to. "So what then?" he pressed.

The Villain gestured to Eri, and she flinched away. "Using her Quirk and her blood, we can eliminate all Quirks, rewind people to when they didn't have them...and if they're too much trouble, until they cease to exist." He seemed to fail to notice the stillness that had settled over the criminal when Eri had flinched away.

"So your entire plan revolves around _using_ her to affect your goals, then?" the criminal asked calmly, once more taking a sip of his tea, idly stirring it with a toothpick.

"Indeed," the Villain allowed. "What say you? We could use your skills...and reputation."

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline," the criminal replied calmly, setting his tea down while still holding the toothpick. "I may well be the greatest Evil Japan has ever known..." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "But there are some things even _I_ will not tolerate, Overhaul."

"...a pity," Overhaul responded sadly, making an obscure gesture. Eri's eyes narrowed as she focused, a glitter around her horn visible to the criminal's senses. "Goodbye, then."

The criminal smiled as he felt the influence of Rewind, turning back time on his body. He would need to know these effects before he could take action...and it lined up exactly with what he expected. He felt younger by _maybe_ a third and could already sense the energy of the girl's power dwindling, the cumulative build up running dry. "You picked the wrong way to deal with me," he observed dryly as he gave the toothpick an odd flick with his fingers.

"How so?" Overhaul demanded, only to flinch back in pain, clutching at his eye.

"Do you have any idea how much ki it takes to sustain my body at three centuries of age?" the criminal demanded quietly. "How much easier that was a century ago? How much _more_ ki I have now?" He smiled as Overhaul's eyes widened, a glow within his eye from where the toothpick was embedded. "And all Quirks, whatever their nature, have to be guided by thought." He sighed as he saw Eri already covering her eyes, knowing what was coming. "And this just shows how right I am," he stated as he released his ki.

The toothpick exploded violently, incinerating Overhaul's head and leaving the lifeless body to drop to the floor.

The criminal calmly put his tea flask away and stood up. "And like I said, Overhaul...some things I will _not_ tolerate." Turning, he saw Eri was already standing stock still as if she expected her to be next and had nothing to fight with. Just seeing that made him feel older already. A smile crossed his lips, however, when he realized that was his body already returning to its previous state - if slowly - as it cycled out the influence of Eri's Quirk, as fast - if not faster - than she was able to build it up. He knew what he could do for her.

Walking forward, he hopped up onto Overhaul's chair so he was eye level with the girl. "It's alright, Eri," he said softly as he pulled her into his embrace. "I won't let anyone else hurt you...and I can teach you so you won't hurt anyone else." Seeing her eyes widen in shock at that declaration, his smile became warmer. "Don't worry, little one...Uncle Happy's gonna take good care of you..."


End file.
